Naruto: The Chains of Destiny Break
by ZuttoAragi
Summary: After the fourth war, the allied forces are decimated and Naruto is captured. But before Kurama is absorbed, Naruto activates a seal that absorbs the Ten-tails chakra. The backlash destroys everything around Naruto's world, but Ten-tails, Ryuujin, takes both Naruto and itself to another dimension and trains him to go to the Ikki Tousen world and break the cursed fate of toushi.
1. The End is Also the Beginning

Chapter I

**Hey everyone, another new story I know. But this one was actually requested by SHONENJUMP Guy from one of his challenges. I know Naruto's not there in the Ikki Tousen time yet, but he has to meet the originals of all the toushi first. And if you didn't know, I've based their appearances and personalities off of Dynasty Warriors.**

* * *

The war had been long and bloody, both sides suffered heavy losses, but it was currently at its lowest point. Most of the Allied Shinobi Forces had completely destroyed when Madara and Obito summoned the Ten-tails. A heartbroken and weakened Naruto was easily captured.

The Ten-tails had reverted to its form as the Gedo Statue. Floating between its outstretched hands was Killer Bee, right before his body fell limply to the ground with Gyuki being absorbed. The last of the Gedo's four outer eyes opened.

Madara looked down at the pathetic sight of Nine-tails jinchuriki being restrained by Black Zetsu. He looked at Zetsu and nodded.

The half black, half white being walked forward pulling the blonde's unconscious form behind him. He reared back and tossed him into the air.

Right after he did, several purple, ethereal dragons shot from the Gedo's mouth and enveloped him as Madara and Obito began the absorption process.

The pain of Kurama being slowly sucked out of him was enough to awaken Naruto. He looked around to see the familiar faces of Madara and Obito standing unaware to his conscious state. Taking advantage of this, he used what little strength he could muster and activated a seal on his left hand that he had created thanks to his reanimated father.

Flashback…

* * *

The remainders of the shinobi forces, numbering a mere four hundred, had somehow managed to escape the onslaught by the Ten-tailed demon.

Naruto was sitting on a stump with dull eyes, he had just witnessed Hinata give her life to save him, not mere hours after her cousin Neji did the same. Naruto barely managed to look up as his father, Minato Namikaze, who had been reanimated by Orochimaru, walked over to him with a sympathetic expression.

Naruto forced a weak smile and then continued to stare at the ground.

"Hey, Naruto," Minato said, getting his son's attention. "I have an idea."

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto moved over slightly so his father could sit.

Minato nodded and sat down pulling out a scroll. On it was a design similar to the key used to open the Nine-tails' seal. Naruto looked at in confusion and asked, "What's this?"

"It's something I came up with shortly before Obito attacked the village."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as his father continued to speak.

"It was to be a backup plan in case the Nine-tails, or Kurama as you call it, got out. Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish it before the attack and had to use the Reaper Death Seal instead. Ironically enough, I had enough time inside the Reaper's gut to finish it," he ended with an embarrassed chuckle. His features became a little more sullen when he noticed his son's lack of emotion. He gave another sympathetic smile and said, "Naruto, holding it in like that won't help."

Naruto looked away and said, "I'm not holding anything in."

Minato sighed and pulled his son into a hug, and said, "I'm sorry Naruto, I'm so sorry, for all of this."

Hearing the pure unbridled emotion in his father's voice, Naruto couldn't stop and started to just cry into his shirt, returning his hug.

Shortly after that, they worked on the seal together and finished it. It was a little later that Madara sealed Minato's reanimated body away during the last battle, leaving only the two jinchuriki and less than a dozen shinobi alive.

Flashback End…

* * *

Naruto looked at his hand and his eyes started to water. He forced back the tears, clenched his fist, activated the seal and turned the seal on his stomach.

"What the hell is he doing!?" Obito called seeing the blonde's actions.

Kurama's chakra flowed away from his body a little more, before moving slower and slower. Eventually the flow stopped. Then the chakra jerked and it all started flowing into Naruto, causing him to shout in pain as all the chakra of the Ten-tails flowed into him, all nine tailed-beasts having been assimilated and the Ten-tails awakening into its true form, the Ten-tailed Dragon Ryuujin.

"NO!" Madara yelled, seeing Ryuujin's chakra flowing into Naruto's body, the eight open eyes and one partially open eye almost immediately snapping shut.

The two remaining Uchihas attempted to stop the flow along with Black Zetsu's help, but it was pointless, the chakra flow couldn't be stopped.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the seal hadn't taken into account just how much chakra Ryuujin had. When the last of its chakra flowed into Naruto, there was almost immediate recoil. This recoil resulted in an astronomic level of energy bursting outward at once.

The burst completely annihilated the Elemental Nations, and the rest of the planet for that matter, along with all the others in that star cluster.

* * *

However, acting quickly, Ryuujin transported both itself and Naruto into a pocket dimension.

It took a long time, one hundred human years to be exact, but when Naruto did, he realized two things. One, he had a headache unlike anything he could ever imagine, he was fairly certain there was a hole in his head. The second, was a massive black dragon standing in front, or floating technically. Most of it jet black, causing it to visually meld with the inky blackness that comprised that dimension. Its eyes were a deep crimson color, with concentric circles outward, each circle having three tomoe on it. It had a pair of large wings with the tissue lining them being a pale brown-grey color. The same color appeared on the underside of its hands, its lower jaw, its neck, and chest and stomach. The color also appeared on the underside of its tails.

Naruto looked at the tails and his eyes went wide with shock and fear.

**"I see you've not only awakened, but realized who I am,"** the dragon said in a deep, gravelly voice that sounded fittingly demonic.

"You, you're…you're the-" he was cut off by it speaking.

**"Yes. I, am the Ten-tailed Dragon, Ryuujin,"** it said with a mock bow.

"B-but…how?" he asked.

**"Simple, right before the backlash of my chakra created a black hole, I transported us to my own pocket dimension. Now, boy, this may shock you, but you've been asleep for over one hundred years."**

Naruto's expression matched his feelings, shock and disbelief, "But how!? I shouldn't be able to live that long!" he shouted.

Ryuujin huffed, **"_You're_ the one that sealed me inside of you. A side-effect of the sealing method gave you immortality, at least within my dimension. Now, I've been witness to another world in need of your particular…talents. But the time you are needed is still two thousand years off. So, until that time, I will train you with the accumulated knowledge my progeny gathered during their admittedly short lives."**

"Progeny? Wait! You mean Kurama and the others!?"

Ryuujin nodded, his red eyes staring at Naruto.

"Then! Then, what happened to them!?"

**"The seal resulted in their minds being melded with my own, returning to my original consciousness, albeit added to by their memories and emotions."**

"But," Naruto said defeat starting to claim his mind, "But…but I had just become friends with Kurama," he said, tears edging at his eyes.

Ryuujin sighed and brought a clawed finger towards Naruto, a single claw being the same size as the boy himself, pointing to his heart,** "Kurama still exists within you, and by proxy me. One of the abilities you will gain is to be able to summon each of my progeny for short periods with their personalities intact. But that is for later. We will begin your training now. And since you are immortal here, your body will not tire, get hungry or thirsty, or need periods of rest."**

"This other world you'll send me to, will anyone I know be there?" Naruto asked as a greyish blue floor-like surface appeared below them.

Ryuujin crossed its arms in thought and rubbed its chin with one of its tails. After a moment of thinking, it cracked an eye at Naruto and said, **"Doubtful. But, you will find others there to form bonds with."**

With a downcast expression, Naruto nodded slowly and prepared to train with Ryuujin.

* * *

After a little less than two hundred years, Ryuujin stopped Naruto's training shortly.

Looking at the massive dragon puzzled, Naruto asked "Hey, Ryuujin, why've we stopped?"

Ryuujin looked at Naruto and pondered for a moment before speaking, **"There are humans you need to meet."**

Naruto looked rather confused, "How could meeting people who're alive eight hundred years before I'm supposed to fight help me?"

Ryuujin sighed at his denseness and said, **"Those you will fight alongside will inherit the destinies of the humans you will meet now. Familiarizing yourself with them now will help you then. I'll give you ten years to meet them."**

"Hold on, my body'll age during that time," Naruto said still confused.

**"And?"** Ryuujin asked.

"And!? And how am I supposed to do my duty in the future when I'm in my forties!?"

Ryuujin laughed deeply and heartily. **"You underestimate me boy! I control your aging. The only reason you'll age at all is because I'll make it that way. My name doesn't mean 'Dragon God' for nothing!"**

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Oh yeah, I forgot."

**"Anyway, don't worry about terminology or language, I'll add the necessary memories so you don't feel like a proverbial fish out of water."**

"That's really convenient," Naruto deadpanned.

**"Perhaps, now get going, your head's gonna hurt a little and you're gonna be in a battle,"** Ryuujin said evenly.

"Wait what!?" Naruto asked in bewilderment.

* * *

The next thing he knows, he's in the middle of a battlefield wearing armor he didn't recognize. It was a dull brown made of small bits of metal in a simplistic design that covered his torso with small shoulder pads, a round strapped helmet with a feather-like item sticking out of the top. The armor was finished off with a tunic like uniform underneath. His only weapon was a long flat sword with a moderately wide blade.

His head suddenly started to hurt as the necessary memories filled his mind. He looked around and said, "So this, is the battle of Xiangyang? Interesting."

His musings were cut short when a man in similar armor to his attacked, except wearing red armor. Moving on instinct, Naruto brought up his blade to block as the man attacked.

"Die imperial dog!" the man shouted, trying to overpower the blonde.

Naruto just smirked and said, "Buddy, you're three hundred years too early to match me!" Naruto used a minor amount of strength and tossed the man off, before stabbing him through with his blade. His sense picked up more attackers as three men rushed at him. Naruto attempted to retaliate when the men were cut down by blue flashes.

Naruto had blink several times to make sure he didn't miss anything. He noticed a man in ornamental red and gold armor holding a long axe. The man had long brown hair in a high ponytail and a goatee.

The man looked at Naruto and walked over. He lowered his hand and gave him a wide grin, "You okay pal?"

Naruto took it and nodded dumbly, saying, "You're, Sun Ce right?"

Said Sun Ce rubbed his nose and said, "Yup. Look, we've got a bunch of baddies to cut down. You help me and we'll talk later."

Naruto nodded with a grin, and prepared to fight.

"Wait, hold up," Sun Ce said with a hand up.

"What?" Naruto asked, confused how quickly this man shifted attitudes.

"That boring sword of yours is no good. Here," he handed Naruto a large shining sword with a wide curved blade, an ornamental handle and a tassel at the bottom. "It was my old man's, I saw how you fought until that guy hit you with a rock, man that was cheap. Anyway, you seemed like a good fighter so I thought you could…"

Naruto just glazed over as the man spoke, and spoke, and spoke. Eventually, he shouted, "Geez! Do you ever shut up!?"

Taken aback, Sun Ce said, "Heh heh, sorry, it's a bad habit," he said rubbing the back of his head.

Rubbing his temples and twitching an eyebrow, Naruto said, "It's fine. That sword still up for grabs?"

Sun Ce pushed it at him. Naruto took it gladly and started tearing through enemy soldiers.

* * *

After shredding through enemies for a while, Sun Ce and Naruto encountered another man. This man had long brown hair with similarly fancy armor as Sun Ce. The man wielded a long, wide, curved sword, his attacks far too graceful for Naruto to consider him a man.

Seeing the man, Sun Ce waved and hollered, "Zhou Yu! Hey Zhou Yu!"

Said Zhou Yu looked at his overly energetic friend and sighed, right before slashing another man without looking.

He walked over to Sun Ce and sighed again, "Honestly Ce, You should be more careful, you'll get yourself killed."

With his hands behind his head, Ce said, "Come on Yu, I'm way too awesome to die."

"Right," Yu looked at Naruto incredulously and asked while pointing, "Who's that?"

Ce looked at him puzzled for a moment and shrugged, "Didn't ask."

Both Naruto and Yu face faulted.

Yu massaged his temple and said, "Honestly Ce, what if he was an enemy?"

Ce laughed and slapped Yu's shoulder, "He didn't, so it's good!"

Yu looked at Naruto suspiciously.

Naruto waved his arms and said, "Hey, I'm on your side!"

Yu was about to make another comment when he noticed the sword he had. At that point, he became quite irritated and a vein popped in his head. He quickly rapped Ce on the head, "You moron! You just gave your father's sword to some random soldier!?"

Ce chuckled while scratching his cheek, "Sorry, his thrill and flare for battle impressed me to no end! I couldn't let him use such a plain blade!"

Yu looked at Naruto who just shrugged. With another sigh he said, "We'll deal with this later. For now, we need every able body we can get after the disarray caused by your father's defeat."

Ce looked slightly downcast after that and nodded.

Yu sighed again and slapped Ce's shoulder, "We'll mourn later. For now we fight."

Ce gave toothy grin and said, "Right!"

"Your sudden shifts in personality disturb me," Yu deadpanned.

* * *

The battle continued until more reinforcements showed up and the enemy retreated due to overwhelming force.

Naruto leaned on his sword and said tiredly, covered in bruises and cuts, "Finally, can't believe they finally ran off."

Ce laughed and slapped him on the back, sending him to the ground, "Come on, you can't be exhausted after such a battle can you?"

Naruto looked up and asked exasperated, "Do you ever get tired?"

Ce just shrugged and said, "Don't know, haven't yet."

* * *

After the battle, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu took Naruto back to the camp to meet some of their other generals.

Along with meeting some of them, Sun Ce decided to tell Naruto of three fighters he wanted to fight the most.

"So, which enemies are most excited fight?"

Ce gave a toothy grin, "There are three of them actually. They're Xiahou Yuan, who works under Cao Cao, Lu Bu who works for Dong Zhuo, and Guan Yu who works under Liu Bei."

Naruto nodded, "What can you tell me about them?"

"Right. I'll start with Xiahou Yuan. He uses the bow and is an excellent archer. I remember him nailing an enemy soldier from quite a distance, square in the head," Sun Ce said excitedly.

"Wouldn't _his_ enemy be _your_ ally?" Naruto deadpanned.

Ce sweat dropped, "Oh, right. Anyway, next up is Lu Bu. He's one of the strongest fighters I can think of. His mastery with a halberd is nearly unmatched. I nearly died in my fight against him," laughing, Ce added, "There're even 'flee on sight' orders for him."

"You ignore them don't you?" Naruto asked flatly.

Ce just ignored him, "Lastly is Guan Yu. He's the noblest enemy I can think of. He won't fight a defenseless opponent, and he'll even stop fighting to let you collect your weapon should you drop. But," he punctuated his next sentence with a finger, "he abhors cowardice. If you try and run he'll show even less mercy than in battle."

Naruto gave him an incredulous look, "You talk about them like they're your best friends, not your mortal enemies."

Rubbing the back of his head and chuckling, Ce said, "I guess. I just really appreciate powerful fighters."

"I know the feeling," Naruto said laughing.

* * *

The next ten years passed by swiftly going from battle to battle. Naruto fought Guan Yu and Xiahou Yuan several times but never Lu Bu.

Until the Han forces met the Dong Zhuo forces in a battle to decide who controlled the area that would become Hong Kong. The battle did not go well. The Han forces were shredded by not only the Dong Zhuo's greater numbers, but Lu Bu had joined the battle and tore through them.

Until he encountered Naruto.

Lu Bu noticed the blonde, who by then had flashier armor, standing around the dozens of his fallen comrades. Seeing his power, Lu Bu walked towards him.

It wasn't until Lu Bu spoke that Naruto noticed him, "You seem skilled, which means you'll have to die."

Naruto looked at him in shock, '_His presence is so overwhelming, why didn't I notice him until now. Doesn't matter, this guy's going to be tough_.'

**"_Be careful brat, even I can only boost your power so much. Plus your time is coming to an end, it might be best to meet his blade._"**

**_I don't like losing on purpose, but if the tingling in my hands is any indication, it'll be hard to win anyway."_**

Lu Bu got into a stance with his halberd behind him. Naruto got into his stance, his oversized jian raised in front of him ready to both strike and defend.

The two rushed at each other in a battle that was faster than a human eye could track and lasted only a few seconds. The two jumped back and stood still, before Lu Bu kneeled with a gash on his side, bleeding profusely.

Naruto stood limply for several seconds before the large gash across his chest sprayed blood on the ground as he fell, dead.

**"_Well, time to bring him back I guess."_**

"Naruto!" Sun Ce cried, running to his comrade's side.

* * *

Hearing Ce's calls fade, Naruto soon found himself back in Ryuujin's dimension.

**"Well, how did it go?"**

Naruto nodded, "I think I met everyone who'll be involved later."

Ryuujin smirked, **"Good. Now we'll continue to train for the next eighteen hundred years."**

Naruto nodded as he prepared for his 'training' or torture as he called it.

* * *

**And there's chapter one. Make sure to tell me what you think and any suggestions you have. A few things before you go, I tried to keep Zhou Yu and Sun Ce moderately in line with their game counterparts based on the little I know, while also give them a similar dynamic to their modern counterparts. I also tried to introduce the important figures that would become magatamas later. Lastly, before anyone complains about me skipping over the ten year expanse, it was on purpose. I intend to have that filled in piece meal later.**


	2. New World

Chapter II

**Finally, chapter two. Sorry for the long wait, I'm not intimately familiar with Ikki Tousen and so I had to go and rewatch a bit of it to get familiar with it. For now I only plan for this to go up to the end of season one, I may consider going to the end if it's popular enough and everything else falls together, but for now that's my plan. This is also going to be a harem, though I won't reveal who they all are yet. Time for the reviewer responses now.**

**NiwaTG: It will change it in major ways, most of the alliances seen in the series will be altered or completely shattered. And no, despite being in his pocket dimension, Ryuujin has quite the tangible influence in our world and kept Naruto's existence and participation a secret.**

**ddcj1990: Personally I don't like Hakufu, I'm not a fan of the lovable idiot type when it's used as a part of the character's allure. It's mostly fine in canon Naruto's case because it's used as a way to hold him back and make his growth even more astounding. I may consider Ryubi.  
**

**Jose19: I know but I don't think it's problem. Yes it's weird but easily overlooked. Hopefully that won't tarnish your enjoyment of the story.**

* * *

Naruto and Ryuujin had spent a little over eighteen hundred years training. With Ryuujin increasing his physical prowess to inhuman levels, along with his basic skill, the extended time period and lack of the need for rest allowing Naruto to flawlessly master multiple different taijutsu styles and combine them perfectly. Using the memories from the tailed-beasts, Ryuujin was also able to help Naruto nearly master all the different jutsu schools. Medical ninjutsu, which the blonde still struggled with due almost entirely to the godly proportions of chakra Ryuujin supplied him with. Taijutsu, which Naruto was able to master, even making use of shadow clones to perfect the famous Double Lariat. Sealing Jutsu, which due to who Naruto's parents were wasn't that difficult. Genjutsu, which the Naruto could due at high jonin levels, but not perfectly. Though having access to the sharingan that in fact originated with Ryuujin himself, allowed Naruto to use genjutsu near effortlessly. Lastly was ninjutsu, which the blonde had mastered in a mere two hundred years, being able to learn and nearly master every single jutsu ever made by shinobi, including kekkei genkai. As an added bonus, Ryuujin allowed Naruto to use its eyes, the eyes which spawned the Rinnegan, Byakugan, and Sharingan.

* * *

After the required time had passed by, Ryuujin stopped the training again and spoke to Naruto candidly.

**"Listen Naruto, your progress over the past eighteen hundred years is surprising, any other human would have require at least half again as long to reach your level." **Ryuujin said, not so much a compliment as a statement of fact,

Naruto just rubbed his finger over his nose and said, "Heh, I'm just that awesome huh?"

Ryuujin glared at Naruto and said, **"Don't get cocky, even if I took a human form, you would be hard pressed to defeat me."**

Throwing his arms behind his head, Naruto said proudly, "But considering most of the people I'm going to meet will be around chunin to jonin level, it'll be like a fly fighting an alligator."

Ryuujin could do little more than chuckle at the boy's confidence. Suddenly getting serious, he said, **"Listen, I'm not transporting you directly to the necessary time period. Instead, you'll be placed in that world ten years before the important events unfold. You'll have the body of a seven year old and will age normally. But my influence will keep you from atrophying regardless. And no that doesn't mean all the ramen you can eat!"**

Naruto pouted at the immortal dragon's newest rule.

**"You will also be placed under the care of proxy versions of your parents. To you and most any other human they will be the genuine article. Though of course lacking the combat experience they had in your world."**

Naruto was in shock, he was just told he'd get a second chance to live happily with his parents. Then something occurred to him, "If I'm placed in the body of a seven year old, won't I lack the necessary knowledge of how things work in that world?"

Ryuujin laughed again and answered, **"Don't worry, the necessary practical understanding will be given to you. While in this world, I will lock away a portion of your strength and skill until you either need it or turn fifteen. Because while you are immortal here and I can heal you quickly there, the strain on a seven year olds body caused by the strength you currently have would turn you into a scattered mess."**

Naruto nodded, then raised an eyebrow, "Wait, why fifteen specifically?"

**"Because that is when you will fall in rank with the toushi, the people who will inherit special beads called magatamas that contain the sealed souls of the warriors you fought with and against before. The beads essentially make it so that the owner of the bead is forced to carry out a fate mirroring that of the original. It seems that someone, though who or where from even I cannot tell, has discovered a way to use this and manipulating all of the different toushi to erect an army of them. Though this individual's purpose is difficult for me to discern."**

Naruto whistled at hearing that, "Someone either powerful enough or skilled enough to evade your senses, which cross even the barriers of time? This is making my blood boil," he said excitedly.

Chuckling again, Ryuujin said,** "I'm sure it is. Now, we have little time left to speak. I'm going to transport you to that world and implant the necessary memories when you awake. One more thing, you will eventually receive this,"** he said, pointing to a floating orange magatama. **"It is the key to the seal on your abilities. Once you receive it you will likely be incapacitated shortly with the rush of power after being much weaker for a time, though still far outclassing those around you. Putting it on will unlock your capabilities, taking it off will lock them and make it easier to hide your presence, which is handy for a ninja."**

Naruto chuckled and said, "Alright Ryu, I'm ready to go. Oh, one more thing," he said, getting Ryuujin's attention, "will it be like Kurama where I can communicate to you through thought?"

Ryuujin nodded and began the transfer to the new world.

* * *

Naruto came to with a sharp pain in his head and the world around him blurry and spinning. After his eyes focused, he looked around and felt mildly confused in a house he didn't recognize. After remembering what happened he looked up to see him at the bottom of the steps.

He looked over himself and saw he looked identical to when he was seven back in the elemental nations, same blonde hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin. He wore his favorite orange hoodie with blue sleeves and a pair of blue shorts, though he was surprised to see something on his feet he didn't recognize.

"What are these?" he asked to no one in particular.

**"_They're called shoes._"**

'_Cute. I meant I never saw them in the elemental nations, so I'm confused._'

**"_They're called tennis shoes. Oh, and if you ask what tennis is I'll cut off blood flow to vital areas_,"** Ryuujin said flatly.

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin, '_No_!_ Please don_'_t_!'

He looked at the stairs and thought out loud with a grimace, "Did I fall?"

**"_It was the most plausible explanation for your mind to be fused with that body._"**

Naruto rubbed his head and thought back in communication, '_Right, wait a sec,_' he looked in surprise at his hand, seeing it the hand of a child.

Ryuujin face palmed and said, **"_Did you already forget, I've put you in the body of a seven year old. Your parents should be coming soon after you fell._"**

Naruto heard running and looked to his left into a hallway from the stairs and became wide-eyed, standing right there were his parents, Minato and Kushina, alive and well.

Ryuujin spoke to Naruto succinctly and said, **"_Lay still, I'm going to fuse the necessary memories to your mind so you aren't totally lost._"**

Naruto suddenly grabbed his head in pain as thoughts and feelings rushed into his mind.

Kushina ran over and knelt down by him and said with worry, "Naruto! Naruto, are you alright?"

After a few seconds the pain went away and Naruto looked at her and gave a wide grin.

Sighing, Minato leaned up against the door frame and said, "Geez kid, careful, you almost gave us heart attacks."

Rubbing the back of his head he apologized sheepishly, "Sorry dad, I slipped on the carpet at the top."

Kushina rubbed his head and smiled, "Well at least you're alright." Suddenly an alarm went off and Kushina stood up hastily and ran while saying, "Oh no! I forgot about dinner!"

Giving a flustered laugh, Minato said, "Well, you alright?"

Naruto nodded and stood up, brushing himself off.

"Kay, go wash up, your mom gets scary when she's angry," he said as he went to the kitchen.

Going blue in the face, Naruto nodded weakly and walked to the bathroom.

* * *

Inside his pocket dimension, Ryuujin sat on his side with a surprisingly content grin.

* * *

After dinner, Naruto decided to head outside and take a quick look around just to get his bearings, and find a place to train.

He wandered around town for about an hour when he found a clearing that looked perfect.

He walked into the field and sent out a chakra pulse to check for onlookers or anyone that might be nearby.

When he found none he nodded and created one hundred shadow clones.

He divided their tasks into groups of twenty-five. One group practiced chakra control with tree walking, mainly a test to see how good his control was in his new body. Another group practiced combat styles, mainly the Intercepting Fist and the Gentle Fist. Another twenty-five practiced sealing jutsu, mainly bringing his new body's calligraphy up to snuff. The last group practiced ninjutsu, starting with natureless jutsu like the Rasengan and Chakra Blast, a concentrated blast of chakra acting like a blast wave. It was essentially an inferior version of the Great Breakthrough using only chakra.

Naruto himself was increasing his physical strength since shadow clones can only transfer memories.

Unbeknownst to him, someone had noticed the noise from his training and was watching with awe.

After training for a few hours, Naruto felt the familiar presence of Ryuujin.

**"_I decided not to interrupt your training, but you're being watched_,"** he said.

Naruto looked around and asked, '_Who? Where?_'

**"_Not far, about forty meters in front of you. The chakra signature matches the size of a child, but the amount if similar to that of a mid-genin level shinobi._"**

Naruto looked and noticed a lock of green hair sticking out from behind a tree. He narrowed his eyes, but then smiled and called, "I know you're there! Come on out!"

He heard a small 'eep' before someone stepped out, two people actually. One of them was a girl with waist length green hair and matching eyes. She wore a white and blue dress with a red bow on the front. The other girl hid behind her and had short orange-brown hair and pale green eyes. She wore a short red school uniform.

Naruto looked at them and asked, "So who are you?"

The green haired stepped forward with a confident air and said, "It's proper manners to introduce yourself first."

Naruto's eyebrow began to twitch, "I'm not too keen on manners. So, you first."

Sighing, the girl said, "Fine, I'm Housen Ryofu." Pointing to her friend she said, "And this is Koudai Chinkyu."

Chinkyu bowed and said, "Pleased to meet you."

'_Why do they seem so familiar_? _And not in the good way either_,' Naruto thought with a grimace. After they introduced themselves he grinned and said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

Ryofu snickered, "That's a weird name," Ryofu said while barely containing a laugh.

Naruto now had both eyebrows twitching. He squinted and retorted, "At least my hair isn't green."

Ryofu grew a tick mark and clenched her fists at her side.

Naruto chuckled and thought, '_Just the reaction I wanted_.'

What Naruto hadn't wanted, or expected was Ryofu to charge at him. It was only centuries of experience that allowed him to effortlessly dodge her strike.

'_Damn, for girl and a kid she's pretty fast._'

**"_To be expected of Lu Bu's vessel_,"** Ryuujin added bluntly.

Naruto reeled back and replied, '_His what!?_'

Ryuujin thoughtlessly swung its tails around and said, **"_Oh, didn't you know? Their vessels don't have to be the same gender._"**

'_Now you tell me_!' he screamed in his head, dodging attack after attack.

* * *

For about fifteen minutes, Ryofu charged at Naruto with punch and kick after punch and kick, but failed to hit him once. At her limit, she dropped to her knees and said, "You're…good."

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose and said with a big, toothy grin, "I know."

Ryofu's eyebrow started to twitch. She looked at the blonde and asked, "How'd you get so good anyway?"

Naruto immediately came up with an excuse, "Lots of training. Lots and lots of training with a slave driver of a sensei." Naruto quickly grabbed his head as he got a pounding headache.

Ryuujin said in annoyance, **"_Be glad all I'm hurting this time is the head on your shoulders. Insult me again and you'll find the pain has migrated._"**

'_R-right_,' Naruto replied in agony.

"Um, Naruto, are you okay?" Ryofu asked with a hand out.

Naruto stood up straight and coughed into his hand. He then assumed a nice guy pose and said, "Yup! Just fine, a little headache from training is all."

"Geez, you were already tired from training and you still beat me?" Ryofu asked amazed. Then she snapped her fingers, "I know, you'll become my master!" she said pointing at him.

Naruto had a disbelieving look and asked, "Your what?"

"My master! You know, you teach me how to fight and you get a student as great as me!" she said quite proud of herself.

Naruto hung his head and said, "That whole thing sounds one sided." He then muttered quietly, "Though, it may help rustle the chains of fate if I get her loyalty." Shrugging he said, "It's worth a shot."

"What is?" she asked.

"I'll train you, but just so you know I'm harsh. You'll probably hate me before we're done."

She responded in a deadpan tone, "I already do."

Naruto forced a grin and had a twitching eyebrow as he said through grit teeth, "Be that as it may, I'm just making a point."

Waving him off she replied, "Right, right. So, how do we start?"

"Well," Naruto pondered while rubbing his chin. "I guess we find your chakra."

"My what?"

'_Ryuujin_?'

**"_Modern humans don't know about chakra, all they can use is ki, most don't use mana anymore and those that do know how to use chakra just call it energy._"**

'_Right_,' he answered, coming up with a plan. "Well, you know the 'energy' everyone says is in your body for fighting?"

Ryofu nodded.

"It's actually called chakra."

"You just made that up."

"No I didn't."

She said flatly, "Then how come I've never heard of it?"

Naruto thought for a moment and said, "Maybe 'cuz you're stupid?"

Ryofu popped a vein and demanded, "Whatever. Let's just get started."

Making placating motions with his hands he said, "Sorry, not tonight, I've got to get home or my parents'll get mad. So…how 'bout we meet here tomorrow at…seven?"

Ryofu thought for minute and nodded happily, "Right."

"Kay," Naruto said as he left. He looked behind him and waved, "Bye Ryofu! Bye Chinkyu!"

They waved and then went home for the day.

* * *

The next day Naruto was doing his normal training but his shadow clones training in a different location so Ryofu and Chinkyu wouldn't see them.

At seven like they discussed, the two showed up and Naruto began to train Ryofu.

"Wait, what do you want me to do?" she asked, unsure of what he wanted her to do would accomplish.

"Before I can begin properly training you, you need to find your chakra so you can use it. It's easiest to sit down in agura style and concentrate on your core."

Confused but remembering how strong he felt, she shrugged and said, "Whatever." She sat down with her legs crossed at the ankles and waited for Naruto to explain what to do next.

Naruto blushed lightly and said, "You should've worn pants."

She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything else.

Pushing those thoughts aside he said, "Now close your eyes and imagine energy flowing through your body starting at your stomach, circling outward, flowing to your extremities and then flowing back. Repeating this process in a concentrated and steady manner over and over."

Ryofu nodded and did what he asked. After a few seconds of nothing happening she asked, "How will I know when I've found it?"

"You'll feel a sudden rush of strength and heat through your body. With enough practice you'll be able to identify it as chakra itself, but for now all you'll be able to feel is strength and heat."

Ryofu nodded and concentrated again on the flow of chakra.

* * *

After nearly twenty minutes her eyes snapped open.

Seeing this, Naruto smirked, "Found it I guess?"

Ryofu looked at her hands and said in awe, "Everything feels…lighter now."

"That's your body enhancing itself with chakra. We need to keep redoing this exercise, drawing out your chakra and then letting it go, until drawing on your chakra is an instantaneous act that you can do even when running."

Ryofu's head slumped to the side and she said in exasperation, "You serious? It was hard enough this time."

Naruto chuckled, "Well, we'll move on to cooler stuff when it isn't."

Huffing at him a bit she sighed and said, "Fine. So I just keep concentrating until I get that feeling again and then let it go until it subsides. And do that over and over?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, that's the gist of it."

She pouted and said, "This sucks."

"You'll never get strong if you don't do it."

"Grrr, fine!" she shouted. She went back to her training and concentration.

* * *

This continued for nearly two hours until Naruto got a text saying he had to come home. He decided to wait until Ryofu drew out her chakra again, which she did immediately.

Naruto smirked and said to himself, "She can already get it in twelve minutes, she's a fast learner. Hey, Ryofu!"

Ryofu, who was about to go back to concentrating, looked up and said, "Yeah?"

"Mom's calling me back, so I gotta go. How 'bout tomorrow again?"

She stood up and nodded happily, "For sure!"

As they began walking, Naruto called to Ryofu, "Hey, Ryofu!"

She turned around halfway and asked, "Yeah, what?"

"As long as you have a place and the necessary amount of time to practice you can do this exercise anywhere."

She smirked and replied, "Cool, meaning I won't waste time in class."

"Ryofu," Chinkyu chided.

"Sorry, sorry. It's those lessons are always sooo boring."

"But they're important!"

"So!?"

As their voices faded, Naruto smiled and began running home.

* * *

Naruto and Ryofu continued training almost every day and eventually Chinkyu joined in as well.

Ryofu had screamed through finding her chakra in less than a week. Naruto quickly had her move on to learning the twelve shinobi handsigns and even taught them both with books Ryuujin made for him that basically took all of the information from shinobi scrolls and put it in book form.

By a year's time Ryofu had advanced to tree climbing and could, based on something Naruto learned from Anko Mitarashi, that being one hasn't mastered tree climbing until they could fight for an hour on a vertical surface just like a horizontal one, Ryofu had gotten to where she could fight for forty-two minutes before either blasting herself off or losing grip.

Chinkyu was barely able to move up the tree without a running start.

Naruto had also taught Ryofu and Chinkyu two of the academy level jutsus, the transformation and substitution.

Ryofu took to it all like a pro.

Chinkyu struggled a bit but kept a consistent pace.

On one particular day, the trio had just finished training when Naruto gave them troubling news.

"What do you mean you're leaving!?" Ryofu yelled.

Naruto put his hands up in an apologetic manner, "Sorry Ryo-chan, my parents are part of a world-wide group that helps with disaster relief efforts. Since my dad's a technician and my mom's a nurse they're being sent to China to help with the civil war there. And since I'm only eight they can't leave me here since I don't have any other relatives."

Ryofu was about to cry when she asked, "How long will you be gone?"

Naruto shrugged and answered, "Don't know. It's supposed to be six months but could be up to year or more."

"A year!" Chinkyu yelled.

Naruto chuckled abashedly and said, "Yeah Chin-chan, up to year. But I promise the first thing I do when I get back is visit you guys, kay?"

The two looked at each other, then to Naruto and nodded reluctantly.

"Good, I need to head back soon and pack up, but I've got a little more time."

"When are you leaving?" Ryofu asked.

"About a week," Naruto answered.

"Oh," she said, crestfallen.

"What's wrong Ryo-chan?" he asked, walking to her and bending down to look her in the eyes.

"My birthday's in a week and a half. But you'll be gone by then," she said with tears edging her eyes.

Naruto gave a light laugh and said, "Don't cry Ryo-chan. Here, I've got an idea. Since I won't be here _on_ your birthday, we'll celebrate early, how 'bout that?"

She looked at him happily and nodded, pulling him into a hug.

Naruto just chuckled lightly. "How about Saturday?"

She nodded and said, "Sounds good to me."

He gave a thumbs up and said, "Great, let's take a break from training tomorrow then."

Disappointed, she nodded with a pouty look.

Naruto reeled back a bit and said, "Awww, Ryo-chan, stop it! You know I can't resist those puppy-dog eyes."

Ryofu giggled and went to walk away. She turned back around halfway and winked, "I know."

Naruto just grumbled.

* * *

On Saturday the group joined up in the entertainment district and wandered around to have fun. Since they were eight there wasn't much they could do, but Naruto and Ryofu came up with an idea.

Using their perfect transformations, they transformed into sixteen year old versions of themselves and wandered around with Chinkyu, who spent most of her time looking at Naruto's older self.

Though as is to be expected from the eternally childish Naruto and the tomboyish Ryofu, they spent most of their day at the arcade trying to beat each other. Or more like Ryofu trying to beat Naruto, at anything, and failing, every single time.

By the end of the day Naruto had a mischievous grin and Ryofu had steam coming from her ears. Chinkyu just looked scared.

The day ended with the two breaking their transformations and saying goodbye, though not before Ryofu stopped to give Naruto a quick peck on the cheek.

Unfortunately, it turned out that waste of time was a mistake as several of the boys from Ryofu's school showed up to their meeting.

One of the boys with short messy black hair leered at them and said, "So Housen, this is who you've been hanging out with? Some blonde haired freak? Though I guess you two match, what with your freaky green hair!" The whole group then started laughing at them.

Ryofu was about to fight when Naruto put his hand in front of her and said, "You don't need to fight Ryo-chan, I'll protect you."

Ryofu, impressed by his desire to protect her, nodded with a blush and stepped back for him to fight.

The teasing boys looked at him and the leader, a boy with long black hair and equally black eyes sneered at him, "_You're_ going to fight? You're just a scrawny wimp."

Naruto smirked at him and got into a fighting stance, "Why don't you say that _after_ you beat me?"

"Tch, get him."

Three of the boys rushed at him wildly.

'_Seriously, these guys are pathetic_,' he though as one tried to punch him. He stepped to the side redirected the punch, then gave the kid his own right in the gut, sending him curling up to the ground bawling.

The other two flanked and Naruto smirked even wider. "I've been waiting to use this." He hopped in the air and spun with his legs like helicopter blades and yelled, "Leaf Hurricane!"

Each of his feet nailed one of them in side of the head, sending them tumbling to ground unconscious.

The leader pointed and the last two rushed Naruto.

Without skipping a beat, Naruto charged chakra into his hands and reinforced his arms with it and lunged. Having not only a chakra enhanced punch, but released his charged chakra and sent them flying.

The leader looked at him in and fright and ran screaming.

Naruto released a breath and looked at Ryofu and Chinkyu, who were in awe.

Ryofu looked on the verge of passing out and said, "I knew you were strong from our spars, but not _that_ strong."

Naruto grinned and said, "Deception is a shinobi's greatest weapon, remember?"

She smiled sweetly and nodded, "Yeah."

* * *

They were walking for a while when Naruto decided to speak, "Hey, Ryo-chan."

She looked and asked, "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for messing up your birthday."

Ryofu shook her head and said, "You didn't."

He looked back at her confused.

"I had a lot of fun today and that fight was incredible. So I'll just guarantee that we'll at least be equals when you get back."

Naruto gave her a grin so wide it forced his eyes shut, giving him a fox-like appearance, "Yeah right!"

Ryofu became red with anger and started trembling. She shook her fist and chased him, "Why you! Get back here!"

He looked back at her and stuck his tongue out, "No way!"

Naruto left for China a week later.

* * *

**And that's chapter two. Hopefully chapter three will be out sooner but I wouldn't hold my breath. Anyway, I'm just itching to get going on the story because I've got a bunch of ideas in my head, but I need to know the backgrounds of several characters intimately first before I continue.**


	3. China's Toushi

Chapter III

**Here's chapter three, I'm able to get them done a little faster now that I'm more familiar with the source material. I tried to keep this from feeling like a rehash of last time, but would like to know what you guys think and any ways to improve it if it is. Now to the reviewer responses.**

**Kinunatz: Yeah, she is.**

**ViolatedMonkey: Thanks.**

**NiwaTG: It's 'finally' for me because I try to get a new chapter out every day or every other day at least, any longer and it feels delayed. That's just me and I'm sure that will change as I get further on but that's way I feel for now.**

**It's that I think she's a bad character entirely, it's just her stupidity is used alot, plus it's not really used to make her more complex, it's supposed to make her cuter. Which it does, at first. As for your last question, I'm not sure yet. I'm stuck between Nanyo and Seito. I don't want him in Kyosho because Sousou will be one of the leading villains later. Don't want Rakuyo because I've got big plans for Totaku that require Naruto to be absent. And none of the other schools really have enough development. The only reason I can't decide is I can't tell if Seito is coed or not.**

**And now let's begin.**

* * *

Naruto, Minato, and Kushina moved to China and settled there. Minato had told Naruto they would be there only for about three months to a year. But the civil war raging between two sides, one side wanting to return to the old ways of the oligarchy and one wanting to retain the newly attained democracy, it not only made their presence even more necessary but also made it difficult to leave.

So instead of spending the year's time he had expected, they had remained for over five. Naruto, or more specifically his new body, was twelve years old by that point. The situation had become even direr as the revolutionary side had started using children to fight about a year after Naruto arrived.

Naruto himself started secretly fighting. He often wore clothes reminiscent of the ANBU from his world, black pants, black shirt, black shinobi style sandals, a gray combat vest, now improved to be bullet proof, and an ANBU mask with the visage of a fox.

Due to a combination to that and his usual strategy, surrounding the enemy with shadow clones and then using a weaker, modified form of the Flying Raijin developed by his father from the shinobi world, the rebels gave him the code name Fox Devil. The defending forces instead called him Menma, because of the way most of the trees were shredded during his attacks and left them chipped into pieces resembling the dish.

* * *

At one point, Naruto got wind of a rebel assault against an allied base. He laid in wait for them for over a day, not needing to tell his parents since they themselves spent so much time away anyway, until the enemy showed up.

What he saw took every bit of his energy not to scream. The enemy force was roughly twenty-seven strong. Out of those twenty-seven, fifteen were under the age of twelve.

Naruto made a signless shadow clone and teleported to the allied base.

* * *

Sneaking in with the efficiency of a true ninja, he snuck into the commader's office and dropped at note detailing the strength, variety, direction and distance of the enemy force.

* * *

After getting back to his clone, Naruto saw the enemy had set up camp so he decided to keep a clone as a watch and got some rest.

* * *

At about seven in the morning Naruto was jolted awake by gunfire.

He looked down and saw the enemy in the middle of a gunfight with allied forces.

The enemies had lost roughly eight members, most children. The allies had lost only about four, and their force was still more than twice the size of the enemy at full strength.

"Overkill," Naruto said with disgust. He really didn't like the allied forces, or the rebels for that matter. The allies always used their overwhelming force against the enemy.

He sat and waited until the enemy retreated, with allied forces on the chase.

* * *

He followed them in the trees, sending shadow clones to rescue any of the children that ran off. One child, he noticed, was different from the rest. She barely used her gun and instead ran off into the bushes behind her group and took out the allied soldiers from the shadows with a jade shot.

'_A few differences of time and location and she would've made a good shinobi_,' he thought, admiring her tactical ability and deadly precision.

* * *

Her streak ended when one soldier caught on and stayed behind.

When she came out to launch another attack he dodged the jade shot and pinned her to a tree.

She was wearing the normal rebel's combat uniform of green and brown camouflage fatigues, lacking only a helmet, she had slightly more than waist length black hair with two long, thin bangs on her forehead, and ice blue eyes, which were filled with disgust, rage, and fear.

With a sick grin, he looked her up and down and licked his lips saying, "You may just be a kid, but you're developing fast."

The girl tried to get free but he was simply too strong.

Naruto clenched his fists to prevent himself from attacking the man, which proved to be in vain with his next act.

The man tore open her shirt and licked his lips again, looking at her developing breasts. He reached his hand out to grope her, but stopped when several shuriken flew by, with one impaling his hand.

The man shouted in pain while the girl crumpled to the ground.

Turning around and clutching his bleeding hand, he snarled, "Who did that!?"

Naruto then dropped down from the tree in front of him.

The man was confused until he noticed his outfit, mainly the fox mask. He grimaced and asked, "You…you're Menma, aren't you?"

Not acknowledging him and showing no outward signs of emotion, despite his face contorting in rage under his mask, he reached up and drew his chokuto and pointed it at the man.

"Tch, I always knew you were trouble, but I had no idea you were just some little shit playing hero," the man taunted and drew his pistol with his good hand.

Without making a handsign, Naruto made six clones, each wielding chokutos, and they attacked the man.

He fired two shots in retaliation, dispelling two clones. He was about to fire again but one clone cut off his hand, leaving a stump gushing with blood.

The remaining three clones plus Naruto himself ran the man through the torso. He dropped dead right there and the clones dispelled.

The girl was curled up against the tree clutching her shirt tightly trembling at what she just saw.

Naruto sheathed his sword and after several seconds walked forward and reached out his hand.

The girl looked from his hand to him and back several times, then asked, "…Aren't you…?"

Naruto finished for her, "The Fox Demon? Yes, that's what your side calls me," he said with monotone.

She looked at hm distrustfully and asked, "Then why, I'm the enemy?"

He shook his head, "No, you, and all the other kids are being _used_ by the enemy. You're not the enemy."

She looked at him with increasingly wide eyes.

"I despise anyone who uses children as weapons by brainwashing them. In fact, each one of your child comrades has been saved by my clones, secretly snatching them up and dropping them somewhere safe. I couldn't just stand by while that, _man_, violated you," he said, spitting the word 'man' like poison.

"So…so you, you don't think I'm the enemy?"

"Correct, you're just being used by them, come with me and I'll get you somewhere safe away from them," he said, outstretching his hand again.

Her eyes were about ready fall out of her head by that point. She shook her head free of the cobwebs and took his hand and stood up. She was surprised, she presumed by his voice and proportions he was around her age, but he already stood half a head taller. She then looked at him seriously and said, "I don't want you to drop me anywhere."

Since she couldn't see his face he leaned his head to the side in confusion.

She saw this and clarified, "You saved me, that man would have violated me and then killed me, so I owe you my life. I would like…I would like to fight by your side. Not for the allied forces, just for you."

It took all of his concentration not to jump back, Naruto, despite his age, had never had someone so deeply pledge his loyalty to him. So in his racked state of mind he did the only thing he could, he agreed.

* * *

A decision he later regretted as he found it increasingly difficult to navigate around the forests for multiple reasons.

The first was the girl, who told him her name was Kakouen Myousai, she was stronger than normal kids her age and had more stamina, but not enough to tree hop. So she and Naruto had to move on the ground, which entailed them doing a lot of ducking behind things.

The second was her outfit. She still had her rebel fatigues on, which were distinctly different from the allied uniform, which meant moving her through checkpoints was nearly impossible.

Eventually he shouted with frustration and had them stop in a small, hidden clearing.

* * *

After they stopped, Myousai looked at him curiously and asked, "Why have we stopped master?"

Naruto sighed again, "I thought I told you to stop calling me that, it's just…wrong. Just call me Naruto, okay?"

Disappointed, but compliant, she nodded.

Sighing again he pulled up his sleeve and said, "Never thought I'd actually use this."

"Use what mas-Naruto?" she asked.

Since his mask was off she could see his disgruntled and embarrassed appearance as he said, "Look, I'm about to give you something. It's going to be absurdly weird that I have it but don't ask any questions. When I give to you I want to change into it."

Myousai cocked her head to the side with a confused expression and said, "Alright."

Naruto channeled chakra into a seal on his arm, and with a puff of smoke a scroll appeared.

Myousai gasped at that and asked, "How'd you do that?"

He looked at her with lopsided smile and said, "Sealing jutsu, I might teach it to you sometime." Opening the scroll and peering through it, he found what he wanted. He channeled more chakra and another scroll popped out in a puff of smoke.

He did this a couple more times and finally found the scroll he wanted. He unrolled it tentatively and looked at Myousai embarrassed and asked, "You promise you won't say or ask anything?"

Confused, and getting a little impatient, she nodded.

He sighed and pulsed chakra into the seal. With a puff of smoke something appeared, and it was, a white Chinese dress.

Naruto saw the deadpanned look on her face and was about to defend himself when she put a hand up and said, "I don't _want_ to know why _you_ have something like that."

He gave a disgruntled snort and handed her the dress, then stood up and walked towards a tree, but stopped when Myousai grabbed his sleeve. He looked back and was about to say something when he saw the worried look in her eyes. He forced his blush down and said, "It's improper for me to watch you undress. So I'm going to wait behind that tree. Don't worry, I'll be right over there and have very keen senses, you'll be okay."

She hesitatingly let go of his sleeve as he went behind the tree.

* * *

After several minutes she called him back out and he did so. He stopped when he got one look at her. He felt a hitch in his throat, the temperature on his face skyrocket, and was certain he would soon become a blood sprinkler.

She noticed his extremely stiff appearance and asked, "Are, are you okay."

Without speaking, or rather being unable to speak, he nodded frantically and just motioned back to the town he and his parents were staying at, some of the larger buildings being visible in the distance, and began walking. Myousai followed quickly behind.

* * *

After walking for a while they arrived at Naruto's hotel room. By that time he had changed back into his usual outfit, a bright orange and blue tracksuit with a wide, high white collar. He looked unsurely at Myousai, which she noticed.

"Is something the matter?" she asked evenly.

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "Explaining this to my folks isn't going to be easy."

Myousai raised an eyebrow, "Just tell them you found me on the battlefield."

Naruto shook his head, "Can't they don't know about my activities as Menma, they'd be too worried."

Myousai put her finger up her chin for a moment, then offered an idea, "How about we're just new friends?"

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought, "It's simple, but it should work for now. I'll come up with something better later."

Myousai narrowed her eyes and puckered her lips in annoyance, "You make me sound stupid."

Naruto shrugged with a grin and said, "Don't have to try that hard."

Myousai just turned her head up in annoyance. She peered with one eye at him and noticed his honestly worried expression. She couldn't stifle her giggle which eventually developed into a full laugh. Naruto soon started laughing as well and the two just stood there in front of the hotel, laughing for several minutes.

Their laughing fit done, the two walked into the hotel and up the stairs to his room.

* * *

He knocked and the one who opened the door was Minato who at first glared at Naruto, then saw Myousai and got a dirty grin. He turned around and called to Kushina, "He's home. And, he brought company."

"Company? Like what?" she asked, mindlessly watching television after a long day.

"A girl!" he shouted playfully.

_That_ got her attention. Her head turned so fast everyone was certain she got whiplash. She stood up and walked over to Myousai and looked her over. "She's cute at least, don't you think Minato?" she asked.

Minato put up his hands and said, "I'm not going to answer that, no matter what I say I'll get in trouble somehow, so I'll just stay silent."

Kushina pouted and then asked her son, "Who is she?"

Naruto scratched his cheek abashedly, "Someone I met while playing earlier. Her name's Kakouen Myousai."

Kushina brought her hand up to her chin and supported her elbow with the other and said thoughtfull, "I see, so Myousai, do your parents know you're here?"

Myousai looked down sadly and said quietly, "I don't have any."

Minato looked both confused and saddened, as did Kushina and even Naruto, he didn't know that. Though he should have expected it.

Lowering his eyebrows sadly, Minato asked, "None? None at all?"

She shook her head somberly.

Minato looked at his wife and grinned.

Kushina recognized this grin and immediately became suspicious.

"We can't just let her stay on the street can we?" he asked.

'_Bingo_,' Kushina thought. "I want to protest because we don't know her. But," she paused looking at the worried children, "I've seen far too many orphans get negelected, or worse if they're female, and Naruto seems to trust her. So Myou-chan, do you mind if I call you that?"

She shook her head happily.

Kushina gave her a sweet motherly smile and said, "Well then, Myou-chan, want to stay with us for a while?"

Myousai's eyes widened to an impossible degree and tears were edging at them. She turned to Naruto to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

He looked at her and gave a face-splitting grin that caused him to close his eyes, giving him a fox-like look, and said, "Wecom home, Myou-chan."

She tackled him to the ground with a hug and started crying into his shirt. She found it, a place to stay safe, a place to call home. After spending so much time fighting and seeing people both younger and older than her dying and killing, she found a safe place without that. She felt happiness just burst from her heart.

Naruto simply gave her a content smile and stroked her hair.

Minato and Kushina looked pleased, with Minato looking at Kushina with his devious smile.

She quickly hit him with a frying pan to prevent him from saying anything, stupid, perverted, or both.

* * *

Naruto and Myousai lived in the hotel with Naruto's parents for the next two months. Naruto often disappeared to do his training without telling Myousai where he went.

One day she followed him and saw all of his clones.

He explained to her about some of the powers he has and she accepted it, albeit unsurely. Eventually he started training her in much the same way he trained Ryofu.

One difference was that he helped her train to use her jade shot.

* * *

Myousai stood amongst the large desolate poles that she and Naruto used in place of trees, along with the wide empty lot they were in for a training ground. The sky, as usual, was a murky gray with clouds overhead and rain drops slapped the pavement every few seconds, but not a downpour.

Myousai looked at Naruto lightly confused and asked, "What's going on, I thought we had more training today?"

He gave his foxy grin and said, "Oh, we do. Just not the regular stuff."

She tilted her head and asked, "Like what?"

He held a bundle of wound up ninja wire and let a bit of it drop and a small metal bulb attached to the swung lazily.

She pointed at it and asked, "Isn't that…"

He nodded, "Yup, it's a jade shot. I'm actually really experienced with it, and pretty much every other kind of weapon except firearms which I'm still learning."

Something seemed to click in her head and she looked around and asked, "Where are we going to practice?"

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Here, where else?"

"If you say so," she relented unsurely.

"Great," he chirped. "Now, you can just use some of my shadow clones for practice targets."

"Won't that hurt you, since you get their memories?" she asked concerned about hurting him.

"Nah, I'm way too used to it, it would take a lot of pain for their memories to actively hurt me. And they would dispel before they received that much damage."

She nodded and got out her own jade shot.

"Alright, I remember from when we first met that already really good. But you're pretty much a straight forward fighter."

"What do you mean," she asked, not noticing or not concerned with the hidden insult.

"I mean you pretty much use it one way," he gave the wire some more slack and flung his arm back, the shot flew back with the wire. Then he threw his arm forward and the shot flew ahead and struck a clone in the chest, burying itself deep. The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke and he withdrew the jade.

He repeated that several more times, each time hitting a vital spot for a one hit kill. After a few minutes he turned to Myousai and said, "See? It's not a bad strategy by any means, but you should change it up a little."

She looked at her jade shot, then to him with a perplexed expression and asked, "How do I do that?"

"I've got a few ideas," he said as he made some mental commands to the clones. They then surrounded him. "Let's say you're surrounded by enemies, if you subtly swing it around in your hand," he paused as he did that several times, then continued, "You can lift it up and, using the momentum you built up, swing it around like a wrecking ball." He threw his hand up, released a lot of slack, bringing the wire to about four feet in length, and then swung it with a bit more force, nailing each clone in the head and dispelling them in quick succession.

After, he looked at Myousai and said, "Don't worry, I won't have you surrounded by clones when you do that, just wooden boards. It also has other uses, like a makeshift grappling hook."

He brought his arm back and twirled the jade around several times and then launched it. The wire lengthened greatly with the force and eventually encircled a horizontal bar. After several passes he tugged on the wire and wrapped around the bar tightly. He then held onto it and ran, using it as a way to pull himself high into the air and onto the bar.

Naruto then demonstrated several other uses, including grappling an opponent, knocking away projectiles, or even taking an opponent's weapon by wrapping the jade's wire around it.

They spent several hours practicing and Myousai picked up the tactics quickly. Struggling with the grappling hook and weapon removing aspects simply due to her body not yet having enough physical strength.

* * *

Their training continued as such for a while. Monday and Tuesday they would practice the general attributes of a shinobi, Wednesday would be weapons training, Thursday and Friday would be ninjutsu training. The weekend they would rest.

* * *

One weekend, Naruto and Myousai decided to head into the city to have a little fun and celebrate, Minato had just told them they were heading for Japan in one month. Though Myousai's reason was a combination of celebration and sadness.

Although she was happy to be leaving with Naruto to a new country, China was still her home and it was hard to leave it. So Naruto decided it would be a good idea to go into town to celebrate and try to forget her melancholy.

* * *

They had spent the day playing the town's parks, mainly Naruto swinging Myousai, and himself thanks to shadow clones, on the swing set, or playing on the see-saw. At one point Naruto even used chakra enhanced weight to send Myousai in the air, only to catch her bridal style and make a bad pun, earning him a knot on his head.

They ate at several restaurants, including one Myousai had wanted to try before but wasn't allowed because of her affiliation to the rebels.

They more or less spent the day doing whatever they pleased.

* * *

Naruto wasn't fully focused on their reverie though. After about an hour into their trip, Naruto noticed they were being followed and started acting even goofier to prevent Myousai from noticing.

* * *

Eventually, at around eight, Naruto and Myousai decided to go home.

They didn't get far out of the city when they were stopped by a group of rebel soldiers angry at Myousai's betrayal.

Naruto looked at them and stepped in front of Myousai and said, "Who are you? What do you want?"

One of the men stepped forward and spit some chewing tobacco. "Look at this, the little shit wants to keep the traitorous whore company," he sneered.

Naruto clenched his teeth and his fists, releasing a heavy dose of killing intent and his pupils periodically changing into slits. "What did you say?" he demanded through grit teeth.

The man spit again and laughed, "What, the little brat's protective of her? Hah, she must be pretty good then!" All the men broke out into full laughter.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. His pupils became slits, although his other features remained the same, as he started to use a bit of Ryuujin's chakra.

He concentrated it in his foot and then released it at once, launching him forward like a cannon and leaving a show shaped whole in the ground.

He flew forward with his arm cocked back like a tensed spring and shouted.

The men looked astonished as the brat moved at such high speeds.

Naruto pumped chakra into both his hand, to release in a burst, and his arm, to have more punching power, and socked on man in the jaw, dislocating, if not shattering, it and breaking his neck.

The man flew across the ground for several feet before grinding to a halt, dead.

One of the man glared at Naruto and shouted, "You little shithead! We'll break you like a twig!"

He turned his to them and said, with a much deeper and hoarser voice, "Just try it."

The men curled back slightly at the pure animosity dripping from his voice.

The leader scoffed and spit again. "Boys," he commanded, pulling out a lead pipe, "Let's kill this brat."

The remaining three besides himself pulled their own weapons, nun chucks, a knife, and a pole with a rusted, jagged end.

The leader motioned towards Naruto and the others ran.

Naruto spit at their incompetence and decided to use something he hadn't for a long time.

He put out his hand in a cup shape with his palm facing up. Soon, the air around him started to shift and blue streams of chakra could be seen coalescing in his hand. Shortly, a small vortex of violently rotating and shifting chakra formed, eventually enlarging, refining, and filling out into a softball sized sphere of glowing blue energy.

The man had by that time stopped at the sight of the attack.

Even Myousai was in awe. She knows about using chakra as Naruto taught her, and even knew the academy jutsus which used it. She'd even seen other people use it in their attacks, enhancing them or acting as a small blast wave. But she had never seen someone condense it so much it became a visible swirling ball of energy.

Naruto looked at the men, specifically the leader, with disgust. He pulled his arm back and charged as much chakra as his body could handle into his legs and feet, and then vanished.

The men and Myousai looked around but couldn't find him. The men froze when a voice spoke up from behind them.

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted as the ball of destruction planted itself in the leader's back, shredding his clothes, skin, and several layers of muscle. Sending blood and tissue everywhere and causing the man to howl in agony. Naruto then released the jutsu and it exploded outwards. He landed just fine but the men were thrown back with massive force.

Even Myousai who was away from the battle could feel the wind and pressure shift as the energy passed by, bringing her arms up to block the dust it kicked up.

The leader lay unconscious with his back shredded open and a pool of blood forming. His cronies could do little besides wet themselves. This kid had just used some magical attack, moved faster than the speed of sound, and took out two well-trained soldiers, killing one and maiming the other.

Naruto looked down with his eyes hidden in shadow and said coldly, "Leave. Now. If you do I'll let you live."

Seeing the blonde boy standing there covered blood they complied, leaving their 'leader' to rot.

Naruto ignored him and walked over to Myousai, who took several steps back in fear. He lifted his head up and gave a sympathetic smile, "It's okay Myou-chan. I just couldn't stand those monsters insulting you like that," he said with an outstretched hand.

She eyed him wearily before accepting, happy that he had done that for her, but frightened of how he acted.

* * *

They arrived home a little later and luckily, for them at least, Minato and Kushina were out so Naruto had time for to shower and hide his bloodied clothes.

Shortly thereafter Naruto's parents arrived none the wiser. All they saw were the two of them, exhausted and passed out on their respective beds, had to be careful after all.

Naruto and Myousai trained more cautiously the remainder of their stay, in case of further attacks, and left two months later without incident.

* * *

In the Kanto region of Japan, a boy with short brown hair covered in bandage patches sat looking up at the stars holding a purple flower in his hands.

Next to him, a person walked out from the shadows.

The boy noticed that person and looked to his right. All he saw through the shadows was a single, yellow, glowing, slitted eye staring back at him. Followed by the shine of white teeth in an evil grin. Everything after was dark.

* * *

**And that's chapter three. I tried to make the fight brutal without getting too gory since I wanted to show Naruto's pure rage. I also tried to keep Myousai vaguely similar to canon while also showing that the conditioning brought by working for Sousou hadn't set in yet since, well, she isn't. Well whatever, let me know what you guys think of the chapter and the story's progress. I really appreciate all of the reviews. Even most of the negative ones. Later.**


	4. The Wheels Turn

Chapter IV

**Here's chapter four. Sorry for the wait, I was having a problem writing but I eventually got some stuff down and refined it. I can't think of much else so let's go on to the reviewer responses.**

**Kinunatz: Yup it is. I won't say much else unless you PM but that is the story's main villain.**

**Exalted Demi-Soul: Yeah, he will.**

**SHONENJUMP Guy: That's for him to know and us to discover. But basically he spent time as an infiltrator, sometimes that means a few transformations could be in order.**

**Tamult: I had originally thought about that but Nanyo just seemed natural. I've got a few ideas on that end though.**

* * *

Naruto's family plus Myousai left for Japan after three more weeks in China.

Minato had decided, after some requesting from both Naruto and Myousai, to move to the Kanto region, specifically Tokyo to attend Nanyo Academy.

Naruto and Myousai spent a long time discussing which school to attend.

After discussing the other schools they decided the best, and easiest to monitor everything would be Nanyo.

* * *

During their trip, Naruto decided it would be safe to tell Kakouen a little about himself, his true self.

He had told her about Ryuujin and how he was sealed inside of his body. He also told her about the near immeasurable powers he gained as a result.

* * *

After the two week trip and deciding which school should function as their defacto HQ Naruto and Myousai continued their training.

One thing that changed about Naruto's was he started incorporating training of the ryuugan, the special visual jutsu Ryuujin gave him. The ryuugan was the visual jutsu the Sage of Six Paths split up to create the rinnegan and sharingan, and the byakugan by accident.

The result was that Naruto had access to all aspects of each visual jutsu. Though training it was far more difficult than training in other aspects because he had to do it himself.

He started by combining two effects from the byakugan and sharingan. He utilized the byakugan's ability to visualize the chakra network and the sharingan's ability to see chakra. This made him an extremely effective opponent as he could see the chakra flow in a person's body as well the chakra itself, allowing him unprecedented lethality in targeting chakra points.

* * *

Myousai's training was slightly different. Since she had no visual jutsus or kekkei genkai, since they didn't exist on Earth, he had instead trained her to utilize ninjutsu, discovering her nature as lightning. Which was a dangerous combination with her jade shot.

One of the first abilities she mastered was channeling lightning chakra through the shot's wire, incurring destructive results. Also, thanks to training with Naruto to increase her chakra reserves from that of Earth's toushi to the Elemental Nations' shinobi, roughly an increase of four or five times as large, it was also possible for her to learn more destructive lightning style jutsus.

This made her one of only three people Naruto could think of that were capable of using ninjutsu on Earth. Those people were himself, Myousai, and Ryofu.

* * *

Naruto eventually decided to seek out Ryofu, going so far as to return to his home town but inevitably discovered she had moved away shortly after he did and no one currently living in the town knew where she was.

He was able to do a little digging but was both disappointed and surprised when he had discovered she had essentially vanished from the planet.

* * *

The duo had also started attending Nanyo shortly after making their decision.

Their first impressions weren't good. Myousai wore the silver magatama of a B-rank fighter while Naruto wore his own personal orange magatama, both on the left ear.

Due to his strange colored magatama, Naruto was immediately accosted upon entering school grounds.

* * *

"Lookie here, two new students! And one of them has some weird colored bead I've never seen," one particularly crazy student in an orange hoodie said.

Based on the flock of fellow students surrounding him, Naruto had guessed he was one of the higher ups in terms of ranking, that and his B-rank bead didn't hurt. '_Good, I get to establish dominance right off the bat_,' he thought with a smirk.

Said hoodied student glared at Naruto and said, "What's so funny? You just so scared of dying you lost it?"

Naruto just chuckled and said, "You think you can kill me?" He popped his neck several times and said in a bored tone, "I'll be surprised if you can even hit me."

The student got mad immediately and pulled out two tonfas, he glared at Naruto and declared, "I'm Koha Kannei, one of Nanyo's Big Four! We've just started and this school is already ours! There's no chance some newcomer like you is gonna get in the way!"

Naruto smirked at him and said, "Prove it."

Kannei dashed forward in an erratic pattern, visible as only an orange blur to most of the students.

But to Naruto he was moving in practically slow motion. He lunged forward so fast most students thought he vanished.

Kannei suddenly stopped dead as a foot smashed into his face.

Naruto, with his hands in his pockets, brought his foot down from Kannei's face, kicked him in the chest before he could fall, sending him into the air. Naruto released a small burst of chakra from his feet and seemed to blast into the air without moving. He brought his same foot up and slammed it down on Kannei's head, sending him crashing into the ground with a dust cloud.

Needless to say, one of the strongest fighters in the school was just beaten in less than two seconds.

* * *

Soon, Naruto noticed that three more people entered the school's main entryway.

One was a girl with short blue hair, an eye patch on her left eye and her uncovered right eye was blue. She also had a beauty mark just below her lips on the left side. She also had a rather large bosom, but being around Myousai for so long had allowed Naruto to mostly ignore that, mostly. What caught his attention about her most was that her chakra felt very similar to a jinchuriki, but he couldn't figure out why.

The next person was a large man with a short dark hair pulled back by a headband and splayed out in the back. He also had small dark irises and narrow eyes. Everything about him shouted physical power, from his massive arms and torso that threatened to tear his uniform to his brick-like face.

The last was the person that seemed to exude the most power. He had short, dark brown hair and similarly brown eyes. He was ironically the shortest of the group but seemed to have the largest chakra reserves and the best control. Something about the way he carried himself also told Naruto he was skilled, but still weak compared to himself.

The supposed leader looked to the unconscious form of Kannei and then to Naruto. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Did you do this?" while pointing to the unconscious student.

Naruto simply nodded.

He was visibly impressed. He bowed to Naruto and said, "My name is Kouro Enjutsu. I would like to test your capabilities myself. You seem strong, so having you on our side would be beneficial."

Naruto knew what he meant but decided to do some fishing and played the clueless idiot. "On your side?" he asked with a confused look.

Enjutsu chuckled, "Right, it seems you don't know. You see, in the Kanto region, there are seven different schools vying for dominance. Our Nanyo happens to be one of them. Now, when I said 'on our side' I meant fighting for our school."

'_So he doesn't seem to know all that much, but at least he knows more than most._' "Kay, so what now?"

"I would like to test your capabilities in one-on-one combat," Enjutsu said with a smirk.

Naruto shrugged and responded, "Sure, what are the limits?"

Enjutsu looked upwards in thought for a second and then said, "None I guess."

Myousai put her hands together and bowed in an act of prayer.

This cased Enjutsu to gain a tick mark as he pointed and shouted, "Why are you praying!?"

Myousai said calmly, "For your funeral."

Enjutsu simply felt a cold wind and thought in despair, _'She sounded serious. He's not really this strong is he? Though I guess he did beat Kannei easily enough._' Gulping, Enjutsu got into a taijutsu stance and prepared to fight.

Naruto did the same, his a fusion of the gentle fist and iron fist. An odd but effective combination if done correctly. He had his legs spread apart lengthwise, with his knees bent slightly, he had his torso facing his opponent with his right arm outstretched and his open palm facing up. His left arm was pulled back the palm open and facing forward.

"Enjutsu, are sure you should be fighting a newcomer like this?" the big one asked.

Enjutsu just nodded and answered, "Don't worry Gakushu, he seems powerful, you saw how easily he defeated Kannei."

Wordlessly the giant Gakushu nodded.

With a smile, Enjutsu said, "Shall we?"

Naruto nodded.

Enjutsu moved first, blasting chakra from his feet and shooting off, vanishing to most but still clearly visible to Naruto.

When he got close he a jab to Naruto's chest that was easily dodged, he then kicked with his left leg.

Naruto jumped over his kick and then smashed his foot into Enjutsu's airborne leg, sending him tumbling backwards. Naruto then charged chakra into his open palm and smashed it into his chest, sending him hurtling back.

Enjutsu was surprised not only by the attack itself, but the physical power behind it and the energy he felt pumped into his chest, increasing the damage.

Enjutsu was thrown back and tumbled along the ground, managing to catch himself in time to see a roundhouse kick come at his side. He brought his arm up to block and cursed when the kick connected, he could practically feel his arm bend from the blow. The remaining force sent him flying across the courtyard. He was able to see the large storehouse approaching and closed his in preparation for crashing into it.

His eyes snapped open when he felt something grab his leg and stop his movement. His head slammed into the ground and all he could do was look down to see who caught him.

He was surprised to see Naruto holding onto his leg with a big grin. Naruto let him go and Enjutsu stood up, checking for major injuries. His eyes widened when he realized Naruto hadn't done any major damage. "Wow, you kicked my ass didn't you?"

Naruto rubbed his nose and answered, "Maybe, but you're tough. The only reason I went so all out was because I felt the force of your punch. I _really_ didn't want to get hit by that."

Enjutsu chuckled and asked, "So, now that we've been introduced our own way, how 'bout you tell me your name?"

Myousai face palmed and Naruto became disheveled. He rubbed the back of his chuckling and said, "Yeah, oops. It's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki!"

Enjutsu nodded and said, "Well Uzumaki, I'd be glad to have you on our side."

* * *

Naruto and Myousai started attending classes afterwards. Naruto was surprised how few fights actually occurred at the school. Though he figured the Big Four had something to do with that. Kannei may have been the weakest but he was still more than a match for most other students, and more skilled than students his rank.

After about a week, Enjutsu gave Naruto a special task. It seemed one of the other schools was planning to assault a school Nanyo had under their wing.

Enjutsu sent Naruto to stop the attack.

Naruto and Myousai sat on the wall of the school's main entrance when they noticed several people approaching.

The first on the right was a girl with short brown hair tied in short, high ponytail, and had amber eyes wearing a white button-down shirt with a loose, blue and yellow striped tie, a short blue miniskirt, pink combat gloves and short pink sneakers with tall dark blue socks.

The second on the left was a girl with light green-blue hair tied into two pigtails with orange ball hair ties and blue eyes. She wore the Seito Academy uniform of a white and blue sailor style shirt with a blue miniskirt.

The last in the middle gave Naruto the greatest aura of combat. She had long black hair with bangs covering one of her blue eyes and tanned skin. She wore a modified Seito uniform with a blue miniskirt and the shirt acting as little more than a belly shirt. She also had a long pole weapon wrapped in cloth.

Naruto looked at them with narrowed eyes, keeping his eyes mainly on the perceived leader. When they got close he and Myousai hopped off the wall.

The one in the middle looked to other two who nodded. She stepped forward and spoke to Naruto. "I assume you're defending this school?"

Naruto nodded with a frown, "I'm afraid we can't let you take it from us."

She was about to respond when she noticed his magatama and said, "Is that a custom bead?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and lifted a little and said, "No, it's just the one I got."

The girl he was talking to narrowed her eyes and thought, '_That color, he couldn't be a…no it's not possible. SSS rank is only allegorical, there couldn't actually be someone with that rank._' She gave a light bow and said, "I am Kanu Unchou. It seems we'll have to fight."

"_**Brat, careful, that woman is Guan Yu's intheritor,**_**"** Ryuujin told Naruto.

He nodded subtly and responded to Kanu, "I am Naruto Uzumaki. And yes, unless you're willing to leave we fight."

Kanu sighed and unwrapped her weapon, which Naruto recognized was the weapon Guan Yu used when they fought, the Blue Dragon Crescent Blade.

Naruto didn't want to reveal too many abilities so he couldn't unseal a weapon and decided to just go hand-to-hand, not that he'd get hurt anyway.

Kanu brought her weapon into a combat stance with the blade pointed at the ground.

Naruto got into his custom stance, and prepared to fight.

Behind them, the brown haired girl said, "Seriously, he's going to fight Kanu without a weapon? He sure is stupid."

"You're one to talk," the other one said emotionlessly.

Her partner pointed at her and shouted, "Hey! Shut up Koumei!"

Naruto could only sweatdrop.

Kanu didn't give Naruto anymore time and dashed forward. Naruto was actually impressed, she even outclassed Enjutsu in speed.

She came in with a horizontal slash that Naruto jumped back to dodge. She used a diagonal slash to try and slice him right hip to left shoulder.

He placed his on the blade and propelled off, using the speed to backflip into a kick.

Kanu leaned back to dodge and then jumped back to put some distance between them.

Taking a second to catch her breath she dashed to the side and then forward with a jab.

Naruto dodged to the side but quickly noticed Kanu's smirk.

She swung the staff around to the left and hit him with the pole. She narrowed her eyes when Naruto barely even budged.

Her eyes widened when he smirked and grabbed her weapon, hoisted her and it into the air and threw her like a bag of feed.

She managed to use the weapon as a reverse pole-vault to not hit the ground. She knelt down as she slid, and was still surprised by his pure physical strength. '_A struggle of force would be unwise. I guess that means it's speed then_," with her plan decided she charged chakra into her feet and dashed forward with her weapon pulled back. When she got close she lashed out a wide slash that was jumped over. Not giving any more time she blasted back with chakra to prevent him from retaliating.

The battle went like this for several minutes. Kanu would charge in at an awkward angle with increasing speed and either land a blow that did very little, or miss and back off before Naruto could retaliate.

Naruto smirked and thought, '_Trying to beat me at speed huh? So unwise,_' he pumped as much chakra into his legs and feet as he could and seemed to vanish.

Kanu searched for him in every direction and was only made privy to his location when a foot rammed into her back, sending her flying forward. She opened her eyes after a second and gasped when Naruto was above her seemingly flying. She cringed and brought her weapon to guard when he slammed his foot down, resuting in a large dust cloud.

Everyone aside from Myousai, including the students who had shown up to watch, were in awe that the recently famous Kanu Unchou was being totally dominated.

Naruto jumped out the dust cloud and did several midair flips before landing. When he did, he smirked to see that Kanu was still able to stand.

She was downright amazed, she hadn't ever seen someone move so fast or hit so hard with a body that looked so slender. She looked down and sighed, her clothes were in tatters. Nothing unsightly was showing but it still meant she had to buy another set. Kanu decided it was time to kick it up a notch. She concentrated as much chakra into her blade as she could, refining and grinding it into a paper thin edge.

Naruto smirked, he didn't think anyone with such great chakra control existed here. He was actually starting to have a little fun. He decided he should get a little more serious. He released the gravity seals he had put on his body during his stay in China, since his training eventually hit a plateau. With those off, he almost felt like he was flying. When he saw everyone's amazed reactions he was confused. He looked down and sweatdropped, he had been unconsciously releasing so much chakra he was being pushed against Earth's gravity.

Kanu cursed and said, "Who hell is this guy?" When she finally felt like she had enough energy charged, she took off, vanishing from sight.

She instantly appeared and slashed at Naruto, but he was gone before she even swung. She then felt an intense pain in her abdomen and felt weightless. He had moved and kicked her so quickly he was nearly invisible.

When she reached the peak of her flight, Naruto appeared and tried to kick her. She had however regained enough composure to knock his kick away and then pointed her blade at him. But instead of stabbing him, she released the concentrated chakra into a blast, shooting at Naruto. Unfortunately, she had forgotten the recoil and got sent crashing into the school's perimeter wall.

Naruto landed just fine, although the blast essentially shredded his shirt. Rather than complain he just tore it off.

The brown haired girl that came with Kanu collapsed backwards with a nosebleed.

Kanu sat up and looked at him and then realized, '_He's not slender he's toned!_' She couldn't suppress her blush at seeing Naruto's torso.

Seemingly to taunt them, Naruto did several stretches to loosen his muscles. He looked at Kanu and said, "You alright?"

Kanu stood up and realized that the majority of her uniform was gone.

This time it was Naruto who had a nosebleed, but had the strength of will not to collapse, he just trembled awkwardly.

Kanu looked from herself to him and sighed, "I think this battle's over."

Her excitable companion stood up, with rolled up tissues in her nose and shouted, "Kanu, you can't be serious!"

Kanu brushed herself off, "I am, Mouki. In a battle of attrition I would lose." She walked up to Naruto and said quietly, "You seem very strong, I'd like to meet you _off_ the battlefield sometime."

Naruto wiped the blood from his nose and said, "I'd like that too."

Kanu smiled as she walked by.

Mouki looked at her and said, "Why're you so happy?"

Kanu just looked back at her for a second without saying a word and then kept walking.

Mouki looked at Koumei who just shrugged and they followed her.

Myousai walked up to Naruto with her arms crossed and said, "Pervert."

Naruto looked at her hurt and said, "Awww, Myou-chan, come on! She was half-naked, what did you expect."

Myousai turned her nose up and kept walking.

"Myou-chan! Myou-chaaan!" he called, trying to apologize to the irritated girl.

* * *

At Rakuyo high, students were littered across the courtyard beaten and bloodied. Three people stood above the rest.

The first had short brown hair, bandages on his arms and bandage patches covering his arms, torso, and face. He wore a white formal shirt covered in blood with a dark tie. He had brown pants and narrow, sinister brown eyes with a sadistic smirk.

The person on his left wore a red blazer over a white shirt and black tie, with a short plaid miniskirt. She had long black hair that split in two and tied at each end. She wore large round glasses with thin frames and had light brown eyes. She had content smile watching her master's work.

The last one, was Housen Ryofu. She now had her green hair tied into pigtails and wore the same uniform as the other. Both also had large busts.

Ryofu looked at her leader slyly and said, "Well Totaku, guess this means the school's ours right?"

Totaku chuckled darkly and said with a smirk, "No, not yet. The school isn't ours until the old leader has been _permanently_ deposed."

Ryofu narrowed her eyes and said, "So, you want to kill him."

Without answering, Totaku turned to look at her and gave a wide sadistic smile and then looked to the other girl. "Kaku, make sure there are no survivors. Ryofu and I will deal with him."

Kaku nodded and said, "As you wish." She turned and headed back into the school as the two left. She turned back to Ryofu and glared.

* * *

Totaku and Ryofu approached a large greenhouse and looked inside.

Within, Rakuyo's current leader sat, surrounded by guards and trembling intensely.

Totaku turned back to Ryofu and said, "I'll deal with them, you keep watch."

Ryofu nodded and did as she was told.

Totaku walked in and several of the guards charged at him. He stuck out his left arm and moments later they were dead on the ground.

The man shivered as two more of his guards charged.

Totaku dispatched them easily by slamming them in the torso with his palms and pumping massive amounts of chakra, destroying most of their internal organs.

The current leader sat their shaking like mad and wet himself as Totaku approached. He put his arms up and said, "I yield! I yield! The school's yours, just let me go!"

Totaku chortled and said, "So pathetic."

All the man saw was Totaku open his mouth followed by a blue flash before his head rolled on the ground.

Totaku put his hands in his pockets and returned to Ryofu. "They're done," he said plainly and went down the hill.

Ryofu turned around and put her hand over her mouth at the carnage he caused. After calming herself she rejoined him and Kaku.

* * *

The next day, Naruto was checking the new network on the computer that handled all news surrounding the seven schools and stopped when he noticed one specific story.

He read it and glared when he read that someone had stormed Rakuyo High School and attacked everyone, toushi or not. And those that were toushi were beaten even worse. He nearly broke his computer he read what happened to the old leader.

* * *

After arriving at school he decided to speak to Kannei about it, since despite being crazy during a battle he was very knowledgeable and a good strategist.

They were sitting on one of the benches eating, with Myousai sitting nearby and Kannei looked at Naruto and said, "Yeah, I heard about Rakuyo. Pretty nasty stuff, huh?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, and there's something eerily familiar about this. I can't imagine where I've seen it before but it makes my skin crawl."

Kannei nodded and said, "I know what you mean, Enjutsu's upped security at some of the smaller schools to be careful."

Naruto looked up and thought, '_I don't like this. Hopefully this guy isn't a problem later._'

* * *

**And there's four. Everyone go ahead and tell me what they thought of the chapter.**


	5. Sun Ce

Chapter V

**Here's chapter five! Really sorry it took so long, but I got a severe case of writer's block about halfway through, so I could only wait until I got some ideas. Hopefully chapter six won't take as long and should be a bit better.** **Now for reviewer responses.**

**R-king 93: I'm not really sure what the ranking system is but I made orange SSS because it's Naruto's color. Plus I've seen the different colors associated with different ranks than they're supposed to be so I just kinda made it up on my own. If you know the coloring system I'd like to see it in a PM. Just remember that SSS is going to be orange in this story.**

**LordXeenTheGreat: I tried.**

**Exalted Demi-Soul: Oh it'll be heated alright.**

**NiwaTG: Say that again when you read this chapter. That's the idea, I've got some ideas to make her less annoying later on.**

**Crisisblade79: Toutaku is supposed to be brutal, the reason will be clear later on. No, I've got other ideas in mind for him.**

**SHONENJUMP Guy: Thanks. Unfortunately it's going to be a little bit before they reunite. I just thought that would be funny, mainly since female characters don't seem to get nosebleeds that often.**

* * *

Naruto and Kakouen spent the next two years at Nanyo. It was rather uneventful with the random street brawl and the occasional riot from a school they lorded over.

The biggest problem was Rakuyo. Rakuyo and their new head Totaku were going around snatching up minor schools left and right. They had even managed to take one from Nanyo. That did not go over well.

Enjutsu had sent Naruto, Myousai, Ryomo and a new student named Koukin Shuyu to deal with it. But when they got there it was already over.

Surprisingly enough, Koukin and Naruto became fast friends. Naruto thought Koukin was a little timid and could use a few injections of testosterone, but when he fought seriously was pretty good.

Naruto felt the only reason Koukin was a C-rank was because he had a short track record and tried to end fights quickly, meaning his skills usually weren't on display.

But one time Naruto sparred with him, and even though it took some prying, he got Koukin to fight seriously.

* * *

"Come on Shuyu! I know you're better than that!" Naruto said with excitement, trying to goad Koukin into fighting seriously.

Koukin lowered his eyebrows and said, "Sorry Uzumaki, it's just hard to fight seriously against a friend."

Naruto huffed, but then got a sly grin.

That made Koukin gulp.

"If that's the case…" he said and threw a lightning fast kick by Koukin's head that caused a powerful rush of air.

Koukin checked and realized several of his hairs got severed, "Hey, Uzumaki! That coulda killed me!"

Naruto chuckled and said, "You said you can't fight seriously in a spar, so this isn't a spar anymore," he said and rushed at Koukin.

Minato and Kushina just watched the two.

Kushina said sadly, "Don't you think he's being a little rough on Shuyu, I mean he's so gentle."

Minato laughed and said, "That's exactly why. The only way for Shuyu to improve is to fight seriously, and he'll only do that on two occasions."

Kushina raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are they?"

Minato looked out at them, with Naruto essentially chasing Koukin with kicks and punches that could shatter bone, and said, "When his life is in danger, but even then it takes a lot. Or, when someone he cares about is in danger. In that case, I'm certain he could even give Naruto a run for his money."

Myousai couldn't suppress her scoff.

Minato chuckled weakly and said, "I guess you disagree Myou-chan?"

She looked at him seriously and said, "You haven't seen the full extent of Naruto's powers, I don't think I have either now that I think about it."

They continued to watch the match continue much in the same way. Until Naruto nearly landed a blow to Koukin's sternum.

Finally getting aggravated, Koukin rushed at Naruto sent a chakra powered punch at Naruto, even though he didn't realize it, the blow connected and sent Naruto skidding back several feet.

He smirked and said, "That was pretty good, let's do it again."

* * *

After that, Koukin had started training more seriously and seemed to come out of his shell a little more. He still preferred not to fight and tried to avoid it, but when he did fight he still ended them quickly. However, instead of ending the fight quickly by aiming for vital points with a light blows, he ended them by pounding his enemies into the dirt.

Enjutsu had even offered both Naruto and Koukin a spot on the Big Four once he became leader. Naruto refused with nonspecific reasons but Koukin refused because he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

The Big Four did get their fourth member when a new student showed up halfway through the second year. His name was Genpo Saji.

He established his power early on. He hadn't challenged anyone when he first arrived. But one group of students made up of D-ranks who thought numbers outclassed skill, challenged him to a fight.

Ryomo had also told Naruto that she had known him for a long time, and that he was a womanizer. Naruto's first inclination was to give him his sensei's old nick name, pervy sage. But he decided Saji didn't deserve that name since Jiraiya could likely beat him easily.

Naruto was present during the fight mainly because he felt suspicious of Saji; Ryuujin even told him that Saji was lying about his identity but decided not to press it for fear of revealing his powers too early.

The group of D-ranks were crushed effortlessly by Saji. And after doing a few simply errands for Enjutsu, most of which paired him with Naruto, he was offered a spot on the Big Four and accepted readily.

* * *

The situation started to heat up much further when shortly before the third year, Enjutsu seemed to drop off the face of the earth and Kannei became a recluse.

Naruto tried to go and see Enjutsu but was stopped by Saji. Saji despite his confidence wasn't even a match for Naruto. However, Naruto decided to leave it be and see what he could get from Ryomou and Gakushu. Gakushu was faultlessly loyal to Enjutsu as always, despite his sudden disappearance and strange imperial orders as of late. Ryomou simply didn't care.

* * *

It was at that point that the first in a long line of bizarre things happened. First, Shuyu told Naruto that his cousin, Hakufu Sonsaku, would be coming to join the school. Naruto didn't care at first but became concerned when Shuyu drawled on incessantly about Hakufu's stupidity.

Naruto just sweatdropped.

The second was when Hakufu actually arrived.

* * *

Naruto was up in his classroom with Myousai and Shuyu and was busy going over some of the information for the upcoming test. He didn't need to since he not only had an eidetic memory thanks to Ryuujin but also because everything they taught Ryuujin had already given him.

He was busy going over some of the history from the Three Kingdoms era of China with Shuyu when Myousai tapped his shoulder.

He looked at her and asked, "What's up Myou-chan?"

She pointed to the courtyard and he and Shuyu followed her stare and saw a girl with waist length light orange hair, blue-green eyes, a short purple sundress and a shoulder bag. She was standing in the courtyard announcing some form of nonsense about flower arranging that Naruto couldn't understand nor cared about.

When they saw she was about to fight, Koukin bolted out of the room shouting her name.

Naruto gained a deadpan look and said flatly, "He really has no trust in her abilities does he?"

Myousai just looked and said, "No."

Naruto scratched his head and said, "Let's at least go down and watch." He stood up and stretched as Myousai followed him out the door.

* * *

Down in the courtyard, despite seeming completely brainless, Hakufu was completely thrashing the student body. She defeated toushi from E-rank to C-rank and defeated them all.

This little rampage stopped when she ran into Saji, who proceeded to immediately massage her breasts, though Hakufu seemed completely oblivious to this.

Saji looked up in thought and said, "Hmm, sixty-five on bottom and ninety-three on top. That's some nice growth."

A normal person would be utterly disgusted by this.

Hakufu, however, was anything but normal. She was actually impressed by that. "That's exactly right, you must be a bra salesman!" she said excitedly.

Naruto facepalmed and said, "It shouldn't be possible for someone to be this stupid."

Hakufu immediately perked up, broke free of Saji's grip and screeched, "Who called me stupid!?"

Naruto though, '_Damn, for someone so stupid, she has great hearing._'

Looking around frantically, Hakufu's eyes quickly landed on Naruto and assumed, rightly, it was him. She pointed at him and shouted, "You called me stupid, didn't you!?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched and he rubbed the bridge of his nose and muttered, "Great." He decided to test her and shrugged. "Yeah, it was me," he responded.

She dashed forward and closed the distance between them.

'_She's horrible. Her style is nonexistent and she just runs madly_,' he critiqued in his mind. He decided to just dodge and let her swing at him several times.

She punched, kicked, and jabbed at him wildly.

What surprised, or rather disappointed, Naruto the most was that her attacks weren't hard to dodge. They were erratic yes, but her attacks were telegraphed like a neon sign.

Eventually he decided to retaliate after studying her for a while. He brought his leg up for a knee in the gut. He was perplexed again when she dodged like a veteran, then spun to correct herself and fell. '_Wait, could it be…_' he thought.

Deciding to confirm his thoughts, he went through several complex combos. First a low kick that was blocked. Followed by propelling off her block with a wide, high, shin kick that she ducked under. Then he brought his fist down fast and hard, but she hopped back and dodged. Naruto frowned and thought, '_I was right. I'm not sure how but she seems to have something similar to the sharingan. She's able to predict my moves and reacts on instinct despite being a shitty fighter._'

'**Right, I sense something similar to that Ryomou girl. The chakra of a jinchuriki,'** Ryuujin commented.

Naruto thought about it but decided there was little he could do at the time. Deciding the battle gone on long enough. Naruto was about to give another strike but Hakufu kicked him in the ribs.

"Ha! Gotcha!" she shouted triumphantly.

Naruto blinked and looked down, then back up and asked, "That's all the force you've got?"

She looked dismayed and Naruto sighed. He grabbed her leg and tossed to the side, slamming right into a storage shed with a blast of dust and metal.

"Hakufu!" Koukin shouted. He ran up to Naruto and asked, "Wasn't that a little excessive Uzumaki?"

Naruto pointed towards her and said, "She's just fine."

Koukin looked at her and sweatdropped when he saw that her clothes had cuts and she just looked dizzy. Heaving a sigh he said, "At least she's durable."

* * *

Naruto walked into the school and suddenly stopped with a slightly annoyed expression.

Myousai, seeing him trembling, ran around to see his face and asked, "Are you alright?"

After taking a few breaths, Naruto smiled and said, "Yeah. I just found out Sonsaku's a lot tougher than I thought."

Myousai raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled and said, "Consciously or not, she planted a chakra bomb in my torso when she kicked me."

"What?" a voice behind them said with a startle.

Naruto turned around and saw Ryomou.

"Shimei. Guess you heard that?" he asked rattled.

Ryomou clenched her fist and said, "But she's just an idiot. How could she use energy bombs?"

Naruto shrugged, "Dunno. Her skill is horrid and her strength is rather pathetic. But her reflexes are insane and she seems to use techniques like the unconsciously."

Ryomou trembled slightly and said, "So, she's that strong even without training?" '_I, I can't be beaten by someone so stupid._'

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said to Ryuujin, '_She must be worried because of the magatama and its fate._'

'_**Probably. You want to save her too?**_**'** it asked.

Natuo responded, '_I want to save all of the toushi. I've witnessed some of the results already._' He thought back to the assault on Nanyo that nobody truly fought seriously against because of the assault recorded in the history of the Three Kingdoms/

'_**Noble as always**_**,'** Ryuujin said teasingly.

Naruto just smirked and he and Myousai left Ryomou to stew.

* * *

Koukin took her up to the infirmary and Naruto decided to talk with Saji.

Saji stood in a hallway leaning against the wall smirking as the blonde approached.

He looked up with his smirk still in place, despite Naruto's serious expression.

"Have fun?" Saji teased.

Naruto grimaced and said, "Give it to me." He held out his hand in an expectant gesture.

Saji shrugged exaggeratedly and said, "I have nooo idea what you're talking about."

Naruto grimaced further and said, "I'm not stupid, I know you took her bead."

Saji put his hand up to his face and said, "Ooohhh?"

Naruto started bearing his teeth and said, "I already don't trust you and so I suggest you don't toy with me. Give me Sonsaku's magatama."

Saji pulled a green magatama out of his pocket with a string on it and said, "Very well." He tossed it to the blonde who caught it.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "What are you up to?"

Saji chuckled and said, "Isn't it strange, that Hakufu Sonsaku shows up now? So soon before the Big Fighter's Tournament?"

Naruto remembered the last tournament. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on who you ask, Nanyon was eliminated early by Rakuyo meaning that Naruto didn't have to fight.

What Naruto didn't know was Ryofu's current attendance of Rakuyo, since she wasn't one of the toushi that showed up to fight Nanyo.

* * *

Naruto and Myousai arrived at the infirmary and saw Koukin and Hakufu's current predicament.

Having believed her magatama lost, Hakufu tackled Koukin to take his.

To prevent any 'undue harm' coming to Shuyu, he knocked on the door to get their attention.

Hakufu looked up from her position of straddling Shuyu, who also looked up and gave a massive blush.

Waving his arms wildly, the black haired teen tried to defend himself. "Wait! This isn't what it looks like! We just-"

He was cut off by Naruto who waved his hand back and forth and said, "Don't worry bud. I won't judge. I just think you should save such *ahem* sensitive acts for the house. I actually came here to give Booby Bombs her magatama." He said as he held it up.

Koukin was incapacitated with an intense blush.

Hakufu leapt up happily and nearly yipped, "My bead!" She jumped at him but was stopped by a stern foot in her face.

He glared at the drooping figure of the excitable girl. "I didn't say you earned it," he said in a teasing tone that she didn't notice.

"Moooouuuu, you're mean," she pouted.

Naruto pulled out a small chocolate candy from his pocket.

Myousai glared comically at him knowing what he was about to do.

He grinned slyly at the orangette who just sat looking at him puzzled. He said to her, "Can you catch this?"

What she did next caused everyone but our favorite blonde to face-fault. She got on her knees, balled up her hands lightly and brought them up to her chin, and yipped like a puppy with her cowlick wagging.

Naruto was rolling around laughing in his head while Ryuujin was on his back laughing like a maniac.

He tossed the candy in the air and Hakufu hopped up and caught it with her mouth, and came back down landing on her knees like they were feet, causing her sundress to lift in appealing ways.

"Well, I think I'll take my leave," he said as he turned.

Hakufu was about to protest when something thumped against her forehead. She looked down with a wide grin and purred out, "My bead!"

* * *

After they left the building, Myousai glared at him and chided, "Was that really necessary?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and said embarrassed, "Yeeaaahh, maybe not. But you have to admit it was fun to watch."

Myousai simply sighed and said, "Let's go."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Ya know you love me Myou-chan."

* * *

On the top floor, Saji stared down at the retreating figure of the blonde and grit his teeth.

* * *

After Naruto got home, he felt his phone vibrate, receiving a text. "I wonder who that is." He flipped it open and paled, then grit his teeth and asked, "Myousai, you get it too?"

Myousai took out her phone and looked at it. She then looked at Naruto and nodded.

Naruto sighed and scratched his head, "Well this is just great."

He tossed the phone onto the couch wide open and went for dinner.

It read 'Imperial Order from Kouro Enjutsu: Hakufu Sonsaku has been targeted for execution.'

* * *

The next day was tense between Naruto and Myousai.

Naruto noticed Koukin and Hakufu interacting like normal. Hakufu says something stupid, Koukin calls her out on it, she pulls out her normal line, and they have a back and forth for several minutes before Shuyu surrenders.

Eventually, Naruto pulled him aside and told him about the order.

"What!?" Koukin shouted.

"Shhhh, keep it down. You really didn't get it?" Naruto asked.

Koukin shook his head.

Naruto sighed, "Enjutsu's always been ruthless towards his opposition, but this is crazy. Sonsaku hasn't even done anything yet."

Koukin nodded and then asked, "Hasn't Enjutsu been acting weird lately?"

Naruto nodded and added, "He has. I keep trying to see him but he always has Kannei or Saji guarding him."

"Really?" Koukin asked. "Did he always?"

Naruto shook his head somberly, "Since the assault by Rakuyo he's kept the guard tight. He still allowed the Big Four to see him as they pleased and me if I cleared with one of them. But now…" Naruto paused and sighed, "But now, only Kannei and Saji usually see him and the others aren't even permitted without clearing it with them first."

"So…nobody knows what he's doing?" Koukin asked in confusion.

Naruto nodded and said, "Pretty much. Not only that but the orders he's been giving out lately are strange."

Koukin nodded and was about to speak when Naruto beat him to it.

"Keep your eyes open Shuyu, and watch out for Sonsaku. There's no telling when the executioner will show up."

Koukin nodded and was about to leave when Naruto gave him a small metal rod. He looked from the small silver rod with an inscription on it to Naruto and back, then asked, "What's this?"

Naruto pointed to it and said, "Concentrate energy into that and I'll show up to help."

Koukin was confused but nodded anyway.

* * *

Later that day Koukin and Hakufu were leaving school after late gym class and Koukin looked at her and said, "Hakufu, where's your bead?"

She looked at him confused and then felt around her ears, chest, and bag and then shouted, "Oh no! I must have left it in the locker room!"

Koukin sighed, waved at her and said, "Go ahead, I'll wait."

She put her hands together in a quick prayer gesture and said, "Thanks Koukin!"

She ran off and shouted back, "I'll be right back!"

* * *

Koukin smiled wearily but tensed when he felt someone near him.

He turned around and gasped when he was surrounded by more than ten other students.

He looked around irritated and asked, "What's going on here?"

One of the other students walked forward with a smirk and said, "Not sure. All we know is we're supposed to turn you into mincemeat."

Koukin growled and prepared to fight.

* * *

On a rooftop nearby, Naruto and Myousai watched as Kannei approached the locker room. Where Hakufu was busy looking for her magatama.

He looked at Myousai and she nodded.

The duo then vanished in puffs of smoke.

* * *

Kannei walked up to the door with a demented grin and kicked in the door.

Hakufu, surprised, turned around and saw Kannei standing there with a pair of tonfas and a crazed smile. She blinked and then said placating, "Sorry, I think you've got the wrong locker room. The boys' lockers are down the hall."

Kannei crouched down and said crazily, "Hakufu Sonsaku. I'm going to kill you Sonsaku!"

He charged forward with an arm reeled back and swung at Hakufu.

Acting on instinct, she jumped back and narrowly escaped the blow. She skid to a stop and said with irritation, "Hey! What'd you do that for?"

Kannei chuckled madly and said with equal madness, "I'm going…to kill you, SONASKU!" He charged forward and jabbed with one of his tonfas.

Hakufu dodged, but the air blast from the blow tore one of her shirt straps.

The tonfa connected with a locker and a shockwave was released half a second later. It pulverized the locker at the center plus the two on the sides and heavily damaged the others and even cracked the wall above.

Kannei turned around and leered at Hakufu. He pulled his tonfa from the wall and ran it below his mouth. He stuck his tongue out and smeared saliva on the weapon.

"Eeeewww!" Hakufu said with disgust.

Kannei looked at her with insane eyes and shouted while jumping, "DIE SONSAKU!"

Right before his blow connected, a knee plowed into his head and sent him plunging through several rows of lockers and left him out cold.

Hakufu blinked and turned around to see Ryomou standing over her defiantly.

Hakufu looked at her and asked, "Who are you?"

Ignoring the orange haired girl's question, Ryomou said stoically, "Since Kouha Kanneiis incapacitated I will take over as your executioner."

Hakufu looked at her deep in thought and asked puzzled, "What's an…executioner?" Then her eyebrows dropped into a pitiful expression and she thought out loud, "Does this mean I _am_ stupid?"

Her wonderings were cut short when Ryomou sent a high sweep kick at her.

Hakufu jumped back and shouted, "Hey! First you save me and now you attack me!?"

* * *

Down in the courtyard, Koukin stood over the downed students, most covered in blood and bruises.

Koukin sighed and tore off his left sleeve since it was barely attached anyway.

He looked up at the school and ran towards the stairs.

* * *

Naruto approached as well with Myousai behind him, both determined to stop the execution before something bad happened.

Koukin reached the stairs but stopped when somebody called his name. He turned to his left and saw Naruto and Myousai approaching with serious expressions. Koukin grit his teeth and prepared to fight.

Naruto put up his hand and said, "I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to stop the execution."

Koukin was surprised but nodded. The three ran up the stairs to help Hakufu.

* * *

They stopped at the second floor when they saw someone standing at the top of the stairs.

Naruto glared and said with disgust, "Genpou Saji."

Saji looked at the group and smirked, "I know where you're going. You also know that I can't let you go."

Naruto looked at him seriously and said, "You can't stop us."

Saji got into a fighting stance and said, "You know I'm the strongest of the Big Four, I hope you're ready to pay for those claims." He smirked and his eyes started to glow subtly.

Naruto glared further and cracked his knuckles and said, "Don't waste your time. Genjutsu doesn't work on me."

Saji curled back a bit and grinned, "You're not half bad. Too bad that's it."

Naruto didn't say another word and pulsed massive amounts of chakra from his feet and launched at Saji, who had barely enough time to guard the attack.

He winced at the force of the blow and skidded back. He punched forward at blinding speeds.

Unfortunately for him, he was moving in slow motion to Naruto who stepped to the side and charged chakra into his left leg, and a concentrated ball of chakra in his knee. He then smashed his knee into Saji's stomach, causing him to cough up blood. After that, he released the ball of chakra and sent Saji crashing into the ceiling, cracking several of his ribs as he fell back down.

To say Koukin was amazed was an understatement. He knew Naruto was powerful. But he didn't think he was powerful enough to plow the strongest of the Big Four in five seconds flat.

Saji lifted himself up weakly with a grin and said, "You're…powerful. You'll be a problem," before passing out.

Naruto frowned and thought, '_More than you know._'

* * *

The group ran up the stairs and Koukin nearly fainted at what he saw.

Ryomou had Hakufu's head locked in a leg hold, applying crushing amounts of force.

Naruto glared, '_I've got to stop this before that thing wakes up_.' Without wasting a minute, he made several hand signs at amazing speed and shouted, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" He then inhaled a large amount of air and exhaled an even greater amount of wind at high pressure and speeds.

The force cracked the ceilings and walls, shattered the windows and broke Hakufu and Ryomou apart and hurtling away.

Ryomou cringed as she felt several bones break.

Hakufu held her throat and coughed.

Ryomou glared intensely and reacted immediately.

Naruto teleported to them but was too late as Ryomou's foot connected with Hakufu's windpipe, crushing it.

Hakufu laid on the ground gasping for air as she turned blue.

"HAKUFU!" Koukin shouted in terror.

Naruto cringed as Hakufu suddenly released massive amounts chakra, encasing her in a golden shroud of energy.

All of her wounds repaired themselves and her windpipe fixed itself. She stood up with a demented grin. What scared most, however, was her eyes. They had gone from her soft blue eyes became amber with slitted pupils.

Naruto could feel it. It was weak, but she was releasing the chakra of a tailed beast. He prepared himself for his first tough battle in eighteen hundred years.

* * *

**And there goes five. Tell me what you think in a review and any comments you've got on it. Chapter six is still going to be a bit since I want to make the chapters longer. Until then, buh-bye.**


	6. Rakuyo

Chapter VI

**Hey everybody, here's chapter six! Sorry for the long wait, inspiration just doesn't seem to strike as readily with this story as Wagtail Shinobi. But since I'm waiting on my beta for chapter thirteen on that one I decided to sit and write and got this out. I can't say it's perfect, and I couldn't really get it the length I wanted. Partly because this is all I could drum up and because I like cliffies. :) Anyway, chapter seven shouldn't be more than a week away since my beta is busy with E3 so won't be working on Wagtail Shinobi for a while. Now for reviewer responses.**

**SHONENJUMP Guy: Oh you'll see.**

**Soutrick: Technically the events would different from the anime since I haven't read the manga.**

**ViolatedMonkey: Yes, I do know that. But you also need to consider that it's been eighteen hundred years since Naruto's fought someone stronger than a jonin. So while it won't be hard, he's going to have to try harder than usual.**

**daniel 29: Considering she'll be possessed by Sun Ce's dragon, probably just a lot of animalistic growling.**

**NiwaTG: Don't worry. It won't be long before she undergoes the Naruto style training program.**

**Alright then! Let's move on to the story.**

* * *

At Nanyo Academy, just outside the locker rooms, a battle was preparing to start.

On one side stood Naruto Uzumaki the enigma of the school.

On the other was Hakufu Sonsaku, the recent transfer student. But she was different. After being choked to unconsciousness by Shimei Ryoumo, a strange power within Hakufu awakened and is ready to go on the warpath.

Naruto was not going to let that happen.

He looked at Hakufu and could the same energy he hadn't felt in nearly two thousand years. The chakra and power of a tailed beast. Using Ryuujin's senses he was able to figure out that whatever was now controlling Hakufu wasn't truly a tailed beast, but more like a fragment.

He knew that fighting her wouldn't be much of a challenge, but he also didn't want to trash the school. He tried to come up with a plan.

He 'tried' because the moment he started thinking Hakufu lunged at him with a feral grin, her nails having become claw-like. She slashed at Naruto's midsection.

He skipped back to dodge it and threw his own punch right at Hakufu's gut, the spot where tailed beasts were normally held, in an effort to try and quell whatever was controlling her.

She slid back along the hallway, grinding up the tiling as she dug her heels in. She looked at Naruto and grinned like mad, before charging him again, but this time chakra charged in her fist and arm.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at that. '_So she's a better fighter when she's insane? That makes a lot of sense,_' he thought sarcastically.

"_**It's hard to get much worse,**_**"** Ryuujin added.

Naruto just smirked as the chakra charged punch sailed past him. He winced slightly as she released the chakra, still managing to hit him.

'_Damn, it's like Frog Kumite,_' he thought as his bruised cheek healed.

Ryomou watched his cheek sizzled before healing with confusion, but then focused back Hakufu.

Who was bent slightly bent over at the waist with her arms hanging loose and a beastly grin on her face. Her grin turned insane as she surged chakra from her feet and barreled into Naruto, sending them both crashing through the wall and into a classroom.

Now on top of him, she tried to smash his face in but Naruto picked her up with one arm and tossed her against the wall, embedding her into it.

Koukin just blinked in surprise. '_He…he just threw Hakufu with one hand. She's not that heavy but, to be able to throw a person with one arm. I knew he was strong but-'_

His thoughts were interrupted by Myousai, "Are you surprised?"

Koukin just asked dumbly, "What?"

With an unchanging expression she asked again, "Are surprised that Naruto is that strong?"

Koukin watched as Naruto stood up and cleaned off the rubble and said, "Yeah, a little."

Smirking at his surprise she said, "Well, he's actually superhuman."

"He's what?" he asked in astonishment.

Myousai just pointed.

Hakufu pulled herself out of the wall at Naruto, who knocked her away with a single fist without moving from his position.

She fell into several chairs and got up, charging with a beastly scream, only to receive a punch to the sternum that knocked the wind out of her.

She floated of the ground for nearly second, in which time Naruto charged chakra into his fingers, slammed them into her stomach and twisted to the left slightly.

Koukin raised an eyebrow but watched in astonishment as Hakufu's features returned to normal before she collapsed in a heap.

"Ah! Hakufu!" he shouted as he went to her side.

Naruto sighed and said, "She was stronger than I expected." He then though, '_But what was that? It was the chakra of a tailed beast, but that's impossible, you are all of the tailed beasts in one._'

Ryuujin responded, **"**_**True. But that doesn't mean minute fragments of my chakra didn't escape into this world during the transfer. There may be more people like her in this world. Like the Ryomou girl.**_**"**

Naruto nodded subtly and sighed, then looked around and said, "Well this is a mess." Pulsing some of Ryuujin's chakra, he tried out a new ability he discovered a couple years ago that allows him to rearrange the molecules in a substance.

The damaged areas of the classroom pulsed a blue light before being repaired.

Koukin watched in astonishment and asked, "H-how did you…do that?"

Naruto smirked and said, "Cuz I'm just that awesome."

Koukin sweat dropped and said, "Yeah, sure."

They walked out of the classroom with Koukin holding an unconscious Hakufu.

Ryomou looked at her and stood up, but stopped with a glance from Naruto.

As they walked away she smashed a fist into the wall and trembled.

* * *

They reached the stairwell and saw Saji standing near the bottom with the blood wiped off his face. He looked at the group and smirked, "Well that's too bad. Looks like Mou-chan failed, she's not hurt is she?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "No, she's just fine."

Saji smirked with a shrug and said, "Well that's good." He walked past them but stopped when Naruto put a hand on his shoulder.

He then told him, "I suggest whatever you're cooking up stops here." He sent Saji a death glare combined with a good dose of killer intent and said, "I don't like schemers."

Saji smirked and put his own hand on Naruto's shoulder and said, "Pot and kettle my friend." He chuckled deviously as he walked up the stairs.

Naruto just glared at his retreating figure.

"Hey, Uzumaki!" Koukin called from below.

Naruto turned his attention to them and cupped a hand beside his mouth to project the sound, "Be right there!"

* * *

Koukin nearly fainted when instead of walking, or running, down the stairs, Naruto just jumped over the railing. Of the third floor stairwell.

He hit the ground softly and walked over like nothing happened.

Myousai couldn't suppress the chuckle at Koukin's expression and said, "See? Superhuman."

Koukin couldn't respond and Naruto walked up to them with an unassuming smile and said, "Shall we?"

The bluenette just nodded dumbly as the group went to Koukin's house.

* * *

They arrived at Koukin's home and Naruto rang the doorbell.

The person who answered was a woman with short, dark brown hair that fanned out at her neck and wore large round glasses over her brown eyes and had light red lipstick. She also wore a long, blue kimono with a white gi underneath and a red obi around her waist. She had a motherly smile and looked at Hakufu and Koukin and said happily, "Oh my, what happened? Did you two play a little rough today?"

Koukin blushed and shouted, "Aunt Goei, no! That's not it at all!"

She giggled and then looked at Naruto and put a hand on her cheek. "Oh my, so who might this little cutie be?" she asked dreamily.

Naruto pretended to ignore her painfully obvious flirting and said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and this is Kakouen Myousai." He pointed to her and she bowed.

Goei gave a confused look and thought, '_Myousai, but Myousai in the Three Kingdoms served under Sousou, I wonder who he is._'

Naruto looked at her and could tell instantly that behind her airheaded and perverted façade she was quite wise. All he could think was, '_Great, a female version Jiraiya. I can't escape that old man no matter where I go._'

Ryuujin simply chuckled at his container's misfortune.

"May we come in?" Naruto asked.

"Certainly," she said and led them inside. "Koukin, why don't you take Hakufu to her room?"

He nodded and went to do that.

Goei then looked at Naruto and brought her pinkie to mouth and said, "Now why don't we get to know each other a little better?" She proceeded to wrap her arms around one of his and drag him to the dining room.

Myousai followed with an ever increasing tick mark.

* * *

While Naruto and Myousai sat in the dining room, Goei brought out several bottles of sake and said in a singsong voice, "Who wants a drink?"

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and said, "We're only seventeen, it's illegal."

"Oh hooey, who cares about that right now? We should be getting to know each other, right To-chan?"

Naruto flinched, '_DID SHE SERIOUSLY JUST CALL ME TO-CHAN!?'_

Ryuujin was rolling on the ground laughing.

'_Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up scale-breath_,' he said with irritation.

"Hmmm," Goei said looking him over. "You look strong."

Naruto smiled and was about to thank her. But face-faulted when she said, "So some sake shouldn't hurt you."

He got up and finally yelled, "No! I don't any of that stuff! It tastes like dirt anyway!"

Goei giggled again and motioned to Myousai, who shook her head while failing to hide her annoyance.

"Sorry about that guys," Koukin said as he entered the room.

Naruto his apology off, "Don't worry about it. So how's Sonsaku?"

Koukin looked down and said, "She's okay, she's sleeping right now."

Goei narrowed her eyes but then smiled and said, "Drink?"

Both Naruto and Koukin shouted, "No!"

* * *

After sharing some nonalcoholic drinks and dinner, along with some light conversation, Goei became serious and asked Koukin, "She was choked wasn't she?"

Koukin looked at her confused and so she elaborated, with none of her usually playful manner, "Hakufu, somebody choked her, didn't they?"

Koukin nodded, "Yeah. Wait, how did you know?"

Reassuming her usual persona she said happily, "Just call it mother's intuition."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and thought, '_She definitely know more than she shows. Well, no point in pursuing it now._' With that he and Myousai stood up and Naruto said, "I hate to eat and run but I need to get going. Mom tends to bring out the frying pan when I'm late."

Koukin became frazzled immediately, remembering the times Kushina hit _him_ over the head with a frying pan. For someone who wasn't involved in fighting, she hit like a bull.

* * *

In the Uzumaki house, Kushina was watching a television show when she sneezed.

Minato looked at her and asked, "Catching a cold?"

She smiled and said, "No, I think someone's just talking about me." She put a finger to her chin and said with a devious smile, "I wonder if it's a man."

Minato's eyes became shadowed and he said dangerously, "He better watch out then."

* * *

At the Shuyu residence, Kuokin suddenly felt a chill go down his spine.

Naruto blinked a couple of times but ignored it.

He and Myousai went for the door and bowed to Goei before leaving.

Goei waved to them with a small laugh and then went back inside. Her daughter would need some 'educating' about the right place to fight. Before going to her daughter's room she grabbed the wooden de-wrinkling tool from the laundry room. Smacking it against her hand and chuckling as she walked.

* * *

At the school, Ryomou and Saji were leaving the grounds after checking on the damage that was done and preparing to tell the council what money was needed where.

Right before they left the gate Saji spoke up. "Hey Mou-chan."

Giving a subtle glare at the nickname she turned to him and said, "What is it?"

He smirked and said, "Sorry about that interruption."

She blushed, but then glared and accused, "You tricked me into awakening her, didn't you?"

He chuckled but didn't deny it.

She growled and said, "Fighting her was my choice, not because of your manipulation."

He chuckled again and said, "That's why I'm so fond of you, Mou-chan."

She huffed and turned up her nose saying, "Don't mock me."

He chuckled again and then looked away from her and said, "Think you can watch over Nanyo for a while?"

She raised an eyebrow and said, "What? Why?"

Starting to walk away he said, "I'm going to be busy for a while. So I'm going to need you to fill in for me." He turned to her and smiled, saying, "Can you do that?"

She blushed and said while turning away, "Y-yeah. Sure. Just come back, alright?"

He smirked and said, "Thanks. I'll be fine." He gave a backhanded wave as he walked away.

* * *

Naruto sat in his room looking over information on his computer about the different schools. He stopped when he noticed Rakuyo. He put a hand to his chin and said, "That's weird, I've got nothing on them." He narrowed his eyes and thought, '_But I've sent at least four enforced Shadow Clones there. Why haven't they reported in?_'

* * *

Naruto widened his eyes as he felt a falling sensation, then looked around to see himself in Ryuujin's dimension. He stood up, dusted himself and asked, "What's up Ryuujin?"

The dragon demon sighed and said, **"I thought it was odd."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is?"

"**Your clones. They dispelled only a few days after infiltrating Rakuyo. But it seems they didn't send you their intelligence."**

Naruto widened his eyes and shouted, "What!? You mean they dispelled and I had no idea!?"

Ryuujin nodded and said, **"Yes. At first I thought I didn't sense the information influx because you categorized it immediately. I quickly got a hunch that you didn't however, and now I'm certain. It seems there's someone at Rakuyo that knows how to interrupt the information transmission of Shadow Clones. And for that matter. There's someone that knows what a Shadow Clone is and how to spot them."**

Naruto bit his nail and said, "Crap. I wonder who it is." With a sigh he said, "Looks like it's time for me to be a ninja again."

Ryuujin just smirked and nodded.

* * *

Naruto felt nauseous again as he found himself back in his room. He put a hand over his mouth and mumbled, "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

* * *

Two days later, Genpou Saji, now with his right arm in a cast from Naruto's attack, walked up to the border of Rakuyo High School and proceed to walk past all of the other students, who seemingly let him pass without incident. Some with indignation and others with fear.

He just smirked with his hands in his pockets as he walked by.

* * *

Once he reached the forest at the back leading to Toutaku's hangout, he was stopped as someone walked out from behind a tree.

He looked at the person and smirked, then said, "Well, well. Long time no see, Housen Ryofu."

Ryofu smirked back and said, "I assume you're here to see Toutaku?"

He nodded, "Yup. Do you mind?"

She chuckled and said, "Not at all. Though he doesn't allow anyone to walk up the path without an escort, so I'll need to accompany you."

As he began to walk, Saji said, "And you say that like it's a bad thing."

* * *

As they reached the large greenhouse at the top, Saji saw Toutaku sitting on in amidst a selection of flowers, holding a particular one. A five petaled flower with three purple and two white petals, each having dark maroon markings moving outward.

Saji walked up to him and Toutaku spoke before he could. "Ah, Saji. Good to see you again." He turned to him a smirk and said, "Mind if I ask the reason for your visit?"

"Oh, no reason really. Just checking on an old friend," Saji said.

With a chuckled, Toutaku responded, "Well, with your information I got on Sho Hao, I decided to take some actions to stop her."

Saji raised an eyebrow, "Actions, like what?"

Snickering, Toutaku responded, "I've told Yoshuu to take her out. Its leader isn't of much use to me. But one of his followers is."

Saji's eyes widened as he began to sweat and he said, "You mean, Taishiji?"

Toutaku watched as Saji's right arm began to tremble and taunted, "That arm of yours must be in a lot of pain."

Saji grimaced and then turned around to see Ryofu behind him. He sighed and said, "Guess I'm done here, huh?"

Toutaku just smirked as Ryofu led him outside.

* * *

In a darkened room at another school, three people sat around a large table holding their cellphones. One had a dark hoodie and short messy blonde hair. The next had black, wide-brimmed had with short dark hair and a small pointed beard. The last was a tall dark-skinned man with his black hair in two braided ponytails and a beige headband wrapped around his head and tied in the front with white rimmed sunglasses.

The second looked at his phone and said, "You gotta be kidding me. Since the three of us were called here I thought the target would be tough, but she's nothing more than a little wimp."

"Quiet!" the blonde one shouted with a shaky voice. "It doesn't matter who it is! Toutaku ordered us to kill her so we have to obey or he'll kill us."

The last one spoke with a calm composure and said, "I simply intend on following his orders to the letter. Since, threatening or not, he is our defacto leader and I must follow his orders." He looked at his cellphone, showing an image of Hakufu on it.

* * *

Back at Rakuyo; Ryofu and Saji walked into the back courtyard and Ryofu snickered and said, "Come now. You didn't seriously think you could do it did you?"

Saji released a sigh of faux tension and smashed his cast against a tree. Revealing his fully healed arm and a kunai in his hand. "Can't blame me for trying can you?"

Ryofu smirked and said, "You do know what this means, don't you?"

He dropped the kunai and said, "Well then, why don't we get started?" He got into a fighting stance and prepared for battle as Ryofu did the same.

* * *

Toutaku watched from his orchid room as Ryofu and Saji fought, with Saji being defeated soundly. He spun one of his orchids and chortled, "He will do fine. He just needs some…prepping first."

Saji lay in a heap in the courtyard covered in injuries with Ryofu having very few.

She looked at him and taunted, "I thought you'd be more of a challenge, Saji."

He smirked at her and said, "Looks like my injuries from Naruto's beating haven't fully recovered."

Ryofu raised an eyebrow and thought, '_Naruto? Why does that name sound so familiar?_'

* * *

At Nanyo Naruto just finished hearing from Ryomou about Saji, and all he could do was sigh.

"Great, now that moron's going to go and get himself killed by Toutaku. I may think the guy's a real douche."

Ryomou twitched an eyebrow but didn't interrupt.

"But, he's still an asset to Nanyo. Well, Ryomou, what do you plan on doing?" he asked,

Ryomou sighed and said, "I'm going to rescue him from Toutaku. Plus there's someone there I want to face."

"No," he said simply.

Ryomou glared at him and said, "You can't order me around!"

Naruto returned her glare and said, "It's an obvious trap. What better way to cripple Nanyo than take out two of the Big Four?"

Koukin interjected and said, "Hold on, you may not be a member of the Big Four but you're still one of our strongest toushi."

Naruto smirked and said, "I know."

Koukin blinked in confusion.

"I know that. I also know that no matter how powerful Toutaku is, if I go all-out he doesn't stand a chance," he elaborated.

Ryomou glared and spat, "Do you even know what you're saying!? Toutaku out powers every member of the Big Four and even Enjutsu. If you fought him you'd die!"

He chuckled and rubbed his nose then said, "Don't worry, I have no intention of fighting him. My only goal is rescue that moron." He got up and moved to leave the room. He then looked at Myousai and said, "Hey Kakouen."

She glanced from her book to him as he motioned her to him. She got up and walked over.

He quietly told her, "I'm going on my own, so I'll leave a Shadow Clone here to take my place. Give it some chakra every twelve hours so it won't randomly dispel.

She just nodded and returned to her desk and book, then proceeded to blush.

Naruto sighed and thought, '_I really regret bringing Pervy Sage's books here. Sometimes my sentimentality can be a real drag. Wait, did I just turn into a Nara?_' He snickered as he left the school.

Myousai sighed as he left and thought, '_I hope he knows what he's doing. At best he's going to stir up trouble. At worst, he's going to leave Rakuyo headless and stuck in a power vacuum. Although, that could go either way._'

* * *

Naruto arrived home to find his parents still at work and decided a change from the Nanyo uniform was in order.

He dug into his dresser and pulled out an orange track suit with black shoulders and sleeves, with a large red swirl on the back. With it he pulled out a pair of black shoe-like sandals with the toes and heel open. Lastly, he grabbed a long black headband with a metal plate on the front and a symbol resembling a leaf on it. Looking at himself in the mirror gave him a nostalgic smile, which quickly turned somber as he remembered all of his friends from his old world. He smiled as he remembered all of the fun he had with them too. One person sticking out in his mind.

Pushing back the solemn thoughts he grabbed extra supplies in the form of a waist pouch with a selection of weapon scrolls in it as well medical supplies. He also put a black kunai holster around his thigh with bandages underneath to prevent friction. Seeing everything in order he created a Shadow Clone and had it return to school, after transforming into the Nanyo uniform first.

* * *

He decided that since he was travelling alone, he'd use the old fashion shinobi transport mechanism. Roof hopping.

Cutting a trip that would have normally taken two days down to sixteen hours. He arrived at Rakuyo late at night and looked around, verifying the absence of anyone else.

He walked calmly through the darkened school. Feeling strangely at home in the dark corridors. Though every random flicker of light or shadow caused minor hallucinations. Most of his old friends, others of old enemies. He found himself at the back of the school sweating profusely after having to muster the self-control to not chase after each figment.

After a few calming breaths he saw a large round greenhouse in the distance and assumed that would be where Toutaku was. And where he was holding Saji.

He walked towards it but stopped when he heard footsteps. He reached for his kunai pouch but his blood ran cold when he saw who it was. His eyes dilated and his whole body trembled. It was Housen Ryofu, the first person he befriended in this new world. He couldn't believe she was working for Toutake.

She stood at the base of the path to Toutaku's orchid house with her hair fluttering in the wind and a confident smirk on her face.

Naruto's surprise turned to anger as he said, "Housen…Ryofu," testing her memory.

She chuckled and said, "I see you've heard of me. That'll make pummeling you and getting your purpose for intruding all the sweeter."

Naruto clenched his fists and thought angrily, '_Damn. She doesn't remember me._' Getting into a taijutsu stance he thought again, '_Hopefully I can end this without hurting her. I can't wait to meet Toutaku and brain him._'

The two warriors stood opposite each other, poised to strike as the wind fluttered by. Naruto's only hope was that he could end this without killing her. He now started to mildly regret that shinobi training he gave her all those years ago, it meant she would be just strong to be difficult to defeat without serious injury.

* * *

**And that's chapter six! Finally Naruto and Ryofu meet again but she doesn't remember him. I wonder why? Well, I obviously know why but...nevermind.**


	7. Housen Ryofu and Basics

Chapter VII

**Hello everyone. Sorry for the wait, ideas were kinda stagnant for a while, but as you can see I got quite a few out in the end. A few people have commented on how Naruto seems weak so I decided to simply address it in the story itself rather than a response. Speaking of which, I suppose it's that time again.**

**SHONENJUMP Guy: A mix of the two, read and you'll find the exact answer, maybe. As for Toutaku, that beatdown is going to wait a bit, but it will be quite intense. **

**code R.R: Yes. One of the things that makes some of his fights harder than others is that it's harder for him to fight someone he doesn't want to hurt that badly as he has to not only fight them but keep his own instincts down so he doesn't do too much damage, which is compounded since Ryofu is as powerful as she is. **

**kratosirvving: Well here it is. Nice name by the way, love that game.**

**NiwaTG: I kinda liked Goei too. She'll be a bit more proactive here with Naruto around due to the effect he has on people. You should enjoy his fight this chapter then, though that fight against Ryofu isn't the one I'm talking about. Hopefully you'll enjoy it too though.**

**If there's nothing else let's get started. **

* * *

Naruto stood across from his old friend Housen Ryofu in the back of Rakuyo High School. The only problem was she didn't remember him at all.

He had gone there to free Saji from Toutaku, and had expected interference. What he hadn't expected was Ryofu, his childhood friend in this world, to be working for Toutaku.

What worried him most was that she didn't recognize him. Deciding to push that back for now, he still had the problem of defeating her without killing her.

What made that even more difficult was the small amount of shinobi training he gave her when they were little; which would make her on a higher tier than other toushi. Though her ranking bead told him she held it back.

"Now," she said with a sadistic and seductive tone, "Why don't we get started?"

Naruto grit his teeth and thought, '_This isn't going to be easy_.'

She surged chakra from her feet and launched at him, then came in with a knee strike.

'_Great, she still clearly remembers chakra control_,' he though as he blocked her attack. He winced as he felt the pulse from the attack, which pushed him back. Stalling just long enough for his arm to heal, he said with a smirk, "You're not bad."

She smirked back and replied, "To be able to take my attack and not double over means you're not bad either, huh?" She paused momentarily as she noticed Naruto's bead. Her confident smirk became an excited smile at fighting one of the legendary SSS-rank toushi.

Naruto sighed as he felt his arm heal he got back into his custom taijutsu stance as did Ryofu.

She smirked as he charged forward only to vanish. Her eyes widened right before she felt the shift in air pressure as he launched a high sweeping kick that she ducked.

'_Damn! Her senses are keen as ever,_' he swore in his mind as she did a chakra enhanced backflip to land behind him. He noticed something odd as she passed over him, a foreign chakra centered inside her head. It suddenly hit him, '_That's it!_' he shouted in his head.

Ryuujin became curious and asked, **"**_**What's it?**_**"**

'_The reason for her amnesia! It's a genjutsu!_'

"_**You certain? Last I knew nobody in this time period could use them,**_**"** Ryuujin said with confusion.

'_Did you already forget? Saji tried to use one on us. If he can, then it stands to reason there'd be others._'

Put a clawed under his snout he thought for a moment and nodded, **"**_**You make a valid point. So, if it's genjutsu, can you break it?**_**"**

'_Not sure,_' he said as he dodged a chakra enhanced punch that buckled a tree. '_If it is a genjutsu induced amnesia, breaking the genjutsu all at once could shatter her mind. The only way to break it without serious mental trauma is get inside her head and loosen so that she remembers on her own._'

Ryofu charged chakra in her hand and thrust her open palm at him.

He managed to dodge it, causing her to hit a wall, creating a wild spiral pattern in the concrete. '_Wait, a spiral pattern? Shit! That means! That means she kept practicing with the Rasengan long enough to get the basics. Winning this without killing her is becoming harder and harder every moment._'

"_**Starting to regret your little human bonding experience are we?**_**"** Ryuujin taunted.

'_Not. Helping._'

Naruto leaned to the side to dodge a kick and caught her leg, then tossed her backwards.

True to the shinobi way she pulsed chakra from her chakra points to correct her fall and land on her feet. What she did next made Naruto sweat bullets. She formed a hand sign and inhaled a large breath.

Naruto looked at the sign and wondered, '_Tora? Wait that means!_ _Son of a bitch!_' Naruto just barely dodged as Ryofu shot a spout of fire from her mouth. Out loud he muttered, "Great. She's master the Fireball Jutsu to the point of needing only one hand sign. Damn am I regretting you giving me that younger body. Maybe I wouldn't have been so, WHAT THE HELL!"

He shouted as Ryofu went through a series of hand signs and said, "I haven't had to use this in a while." She smirked and said, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" She spat a stream of fire that collected into a large fireball before shooting forward.

Narrowly dodging Naruto formulated a basic plan. '_Alright. If she really is under a genjutsu based amnesia, using any of my signature moves could cause damage. So that puts ninjutsu out of the picture. I guess that leaves brute strength._'

Ryuujin chuckled and teased, **"**_**Too bad you were too busy showing off to that girl to think about the consequences.**_**"**

Naruto could barely stop himself from yelling out loud, '_HOW THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW SHE WOULD COME UNDER THE EFFECTS OF A GENJUTSU INDUCED AMNESIA, HUH!?_'

Ryuujin simply chuckled as Naruto surged as much chakra from his feet to shoot past Ryofu fast enough to knock her off balance.

Watching the flash of yellow combined with the air pressure not only knocked her off balance but surprised her to the point of slow reaction time.

Naruto charged chakra into his fist and smashed a tree at the base, causing it to fracture and become a free floating trunk. Taking advantage of her surprise he used a chakra kick to send the dislodged tree at her.

She barely had enough time to react.

Naruto watched in annoyance as the tree split in half and fell behind her.

She stood and smirked, then said, "I take back what I said. You're real good. Which means I can't just beat you. I've got to kill you."

Naruto watched in astonishment as she condensed chakra around her hands and sharpened and elongated it. Turning the chakra into swords wrapped around her hands with the blades sticking out two feet past her fingers. He grit his teeth as he was amazed at how powerful Ryofu had gotten. Chances are she might have even given low rank jonin of his time a challenge. He decided he only had one choice left, a limited Flying Raijin.

'_Fortunately I thought to place a mark on her back when I sailed by_,' he thought as he concentrated on the mark, vanishing before the pigtailed girl's eyes.

Everything went black as he chopped the back of her neck, knocking her out.

Setting her down gently he sighed and said, "Damn. I thought this'd go on forever." He then smiled and said quietly, "But I'm strangely happy she's become so strong." Remembering the short time he spent with her brought another smile as he returned to the task at hand.

He placed one hand on her head and concentrated chakra into it.

* * *

He soon found himself in a large, empty grey space with a brain floating in front of him. He put out a hand and a large scroll emerged from the brain. He channeled chakra into it and examined her memories and chakra network. He concentrated on her memories of him and found them to be locked away by more than four extremely complex genjutsu barriers.

In this illusionary world a human sized version of Ryuujin appeared and asked, **"So, what are you going to do with her?"**

He narrowed his eyes and said, "I'm going to release the outermost barrier completely. Then I'll put holes in the others so that the most important memories can come to the surface. Hopefully that's enough for her to break the genjutsu on her own without causing severe trauma."

Raising an eyebrow Ryuujin asked, **"Then why haven't you done it yet?"**

Naruto scoffed and said, "I thought _you_ would be able to figure that out."

Ryuujin flicked several of his tails in annoyance but kept silent.

Sighing, Naruto said, "I haven't done it yet because I need to examine the genjutsu thoroughly first. Before the final days of the war I did some training with Ino and the living Yamanakas to try and understand their mental probing jutsus. At the time I couldn't but I was able to grasp a few things. The one important to now being that when someone is under the effect of a genjutsu that alters their memories that you need to first understand the genjutsu. Every single person's genjutsu has specific markers based on the method they used to cast as well as their own chakra. If I can identify the source of the genjutsu, or at the very least understand it, then minute workings will be easy. That's because it's harder to disable _part_ of a genjutsu than it is to only disable all of it. You get that?"

Ryuujin nodded and said, **"I understood most of it, not that I really care. So, how long do you think this will take?"**

Naruto shrugged and said, "Not sure. Depends on who cast the genjutsu and how…complex…it…is…" he trailed off as he examined the genjutsu further. His eyes widened in shock and he said, "This…this can't be!"

Ryuujin narrowed his eyes and said, **"What is it?"**

"This genjutsu. It's signature matches…no that's impossible."

Ryuujin frowned and demanded, **"Just spit it out brat! In this alternate mental world I can't read your thoughts, so speak!"**

Naruto sighed as he pulled his hand away and said tiredly, "Don't worry about it. It was nothing. I'm finished, so let's go."

Ryuujin became confused and asked, **"Go? What about that Saji guy?"**

Naruto sighed and said, "I'm too exhausted after dealing with Ryofu and finding her working for Toutaku. Plus I doubt finding him would be that easy anyway."

Seeing his words for lies but not caring enough to argue Ryuujin just agreed as they left Ryofu's mind.

* * *

Naruto pulled his hand away and stood up.

He then disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Ryofu unconscious on the ground.

Unknown to both of them, Toutaku had witnessed the entire event. As a result, he was seething after the events had transpired, though none of his servants could discern why.

* * *

The next day Naruto showed up at Nanyo with a saddened look. He also happened to run into the last person he wanted to see, Ryomou.

She saw him and said frantically, "You're back. So that means, that means you got Saji right?"

Naruto wondered how she he was gone at all but figured Kakouen told her about it so she wouldn't leave. He sighed and said, "No, I couldn't. The sentinels at Rakuyo were just too rough," he lied.

She frowned and said, "Oh, alright."

Grumbling he said, "Besides, I couldn't even find him. My guess is they're not holding him on school grounds, which means I wouldn't have found him anyway."

She nodded and said, "Shall we go to class?"

He responded with a curt nod and they proceeded to the classroom.

For once in his long life he was glad to be in a classroom because it gave him time to think. About why Saji would've gone to Rakuyo in the first place. About who put the genjutsu on Ryofu, as well as numerous other questions surrounding her. Mainly centered on how she ended up working for Toutaku in the first place.

* * *

After that Naruto returned home with Kakouen and dispelled his shadow clone, then decided to look over any information he could gather on events in the Kanto region since his departure.

It took him over a week. But with the creative use of Shadow Clones and genjutsu. As well as more draconian methods he was able to compile a basic idea of what transpired during his five year absence. The first two years were relatively straightforward without much in the way of extravagance occurring besides the Big Fighters' Tournament that takes place every two years.

It's what happened during the third year of his absence that intrigued him. The current leader of Rakuyo High School, Chuei Toutaku, had originally gone to one of the smaller schools. Within two months he had complete control.

Over the next eight he transferred to a larger school and took it over even faster. After that he used his newfound position to begin conquering smaller schools with his forces, quickly moving up to conquering schools of equal or greater size than his own.

This was mainly achieved through Toutaku's two foremost lieutenants. The first was Ryofu. Apparently, thanks to the training she did with Naruto, when she fought she could be a force of nature. However, she rarely showed skill beyond that of a B-rank toushi. She did show greater skill and prowess at times but not often enough for her rank to rise to A.

The second was a man named Shishi Ouin. What confused Naruto was that while he could easily find Ouin's battle record, which placed him at an easy A-rank. Finding anything to identify him, including something as simple as a photo, seemed impossible. Add to that that those who had seen Ouin fight in person could not remember what he looked like Naruto began to think Ouin would be someone to keep an eye on; if he knew what the slippery bastard looked like.

Thanks to his lieutenants, Toutaku quickly snatched up most of the schools in the northern Kanto region, and then transferred to Rakuyo one year after Naruto returned. To take over the school Toutaku and his forces invaded the school. Killing anyone who fought or seemed to support the current leader. He also severely injured most of the toushi that weren't aligned either way. What concerned Naruto the most was the way the leader was killed.

What few medical reports he could get showed that the old leader had been killed by being run through the chest with a bladed weapon, most likely a sword. Naruto couldn't get any specifics on the injuries but also noted that he found out the leader's lieutenant seemed to be poisoned. The poison had already disappeared from their systems before it could be examined thoroughly.

Naruto looked over the information on his computer screen and sighed. He then scratched his head in irritation and said, "Well this is a hot mess. I can't even find out this Ouin bastard is. If I could only talk to Enjutsu he might know."

Right then he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he called and Myousai walked in holding a tray of food.

She looked at him and said, "Kushina made dinner for us. Would you like me to eat with you?"

Naruto shrugged and motioned to the table in the center of his large room.

She set it down and the two said their graces and began eating, Naruto more to keep appearances since he didn't really need to.

The time was spent mostly in silence, though Naruto did notice Myousai sent him occasional accusatory glances.

After several minutes he sighed and said, "What's bugging you Kakouen?"

She looked him dead on and debated for several seconds before saying, "Your recent battles."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What about them?"

She narrowed her eyes and said, "You seemed to struggle against Sonsaku and Ryofu. However I am more than aware that defeating them should have been no contest."

Naruto sighed heavily and said, "I was wondering when you were going to tan my hide on that. Normally I'd just tell you that I have my reasons; but that look you're sending me shows that you won't accept that."

She simple sat quietly as he spoke.

"Well, the reason I had such a hard time beating is _because_ I'm so powerful."

Myousai sat silently for several before she tilted her head and said, "That doesn't make sense. Saji is around the same league and yet you defeated him effortlessly."

Naruto nodded and responded, "Yes. That's because with Saji, I'm not concerned about whether I kill him or not. I didn't, nor would, use enough force to purposefully kill unless I needed to. But I used enough force that killing him was a possibility. As for Hakufu and Ryofu. The two of them are powerful. Ryofu because of pure skill and physical power. Hakufu because of that thing she has. They're just skilled enough that it's a bit of a struggle to use enough force to defeat them, without using enough to kill them."

Myousai looked at him, not quite understanding but coming close.

Naruto continued, "If I didn't mind, or had wanted to, defeating them with death. It would've been easy. Just a few quick strikes on vital points and the two of them would've gone down easily. But that's exactly what I wanted to avoid. I didn't want to kill Ryofu because I care about her, despite her current situation. And Hakufu could be useful later on, so killing either of them would have been more detrimental than advantageous. Plus, I don't really need or want the attention that other schools would give me if I want around no-selling everyone around me. That's far too much irritation."

Myousai nodded and said, "So you're essentially bragging. You're saying that you're so powerful that regulating that power so low and being purposefully nonfatal is difficult."

Naruto dropped his shoulders comically and deadpanned, "Thanks Kakouen. Your faith is astounding."

* * *

The next day, Naruto and Myousai arrived at Nanyo and were immediately met with a frantic Koukin.

"Uzumaki! Uzumaki!" he shouted.

The blonde immortal turned his head to his bluenette friend with a raised eyebrow and asked, "Yo, Shuyu, where's the fire?"

Koukin stopped short and panted then said frantically, "It's Hakufu! She's gone!"

Naruto sighed and grumbled out, "Great. What happened?"

Panting between words he choked out, "It was…a few days…after her…attack. She…remembered what happened before…and after…that power woke up and…she…she thought that she had…lost to-"

Naruto put up his hand and said, "Whoa, whoa, calm down. Take a few breaths and then tell me what happened."

After a few deep breaths Koukin sputtered out, "HakufuthoughtshelosttoRyomouandbecamedepressed."

Taking a moment to process his friend's sentence, Naruto simply blinked and said, "Huh?"

After another breath Koukin said, more slowly, "Hakufu thought she lost to Ryomou and not you. After that she became depressed and left the house. She's been gone since lunch time yesterday."

Naruto scratched his head in annoyance and said, "Wondeful. Does Goei know?"

Koukin shook his head.

Naruto sighed and said, "Alright Kakouen, I'm going to leave a shadow clone here and look for her."

Myousai nodded and Naruto formed the clone, Koukin still not used to ninjutsus flinched, and then left.

* * *

Naruto decided to return to his more comfortable shinobi outfit, including the headband and pouch, and hopped along the rooftops; occasionally sending out chakra pulses to find Hakufu's signature.

After nearly two hours of searching and no success, Naruto decided to investigate something he was curious about that might help.

Not feeling the need to hide his voice while roof hopping, and finding communicating by though time consuming, spoke aloud, "Hey Ryuujin, can I still use the Chakra Cloak like with Kurama?"

After thinking for a moment, Ryuujin responded, **"**_**Most likely. You could use it because Kurama's chakra was the most powerful of my make-shift offspring. And my chakra is more than a dozen times beyond his. I'll give you some of my pure chakra and see if that works.**_**"**

Naruto nodded and stopped. He then waited until he could feel Ryuujin's chakra and surged it through his body, calming his mind beforehand.

When he did, his body lit up with bright golden chakra. At first his form was outlined by it, two spits of hair in the front sticking out like horns. Almost immediately, however, his torso turned black with a golden line running down the middle ending in a circle with a smaller circle inside, and six tomoe running along his collar bone. Black lines extended from there down his legs, ending right at the ankles and warping around the middle with black, filled-in circles on the top and bottom. He also had had the same black lines running down his arms and ending at his hands with black circles on his palms and the backs of his hands. After another moment a golden cloak formed around his torso and reaching his knees. The cloak was frayed on the bottom, sleeves, and collar, the frays licking out like flames. The pattern on it started on his back as two concentric circles at his shoulders, then extended out in lines that wrapped around his shoulders and ended at the inside edge of the front. The shoulders had two concentric circles, interrupting the lines, with more lines extended down the sleeves to the wrists of the cloak. Lastly, the horn-like protrusions of hair widened and lengthened, resembling flat dragon horns that faced up.

Naruto was astonished. His senses with Kurama's Chakra Mode were extreme, being able to sense hostility for miles. But now, now he could sense all emotions over almost the entire world. It was near overwhelming.

He buckled over as the physical and mental pain collided. Having that many presences thrust into your mind at once is crippling. Eventually he quelled them and was able to focus on Hakufu's. What surprised him most wasn't so much her natural state; a state of near complete blissful ignorance. What got him was what lie just beneath. A near insatiable desire to fight, and to kill.

Because he had such heightened senses and was focusing on one person, he discovered he was able to subtly tap into her mind and see what was going on around her. He reached a near epic face palm.

She was being blatantly hit on and felt up by several men but seemed to hungry to do anything. It was then he noticed a new presence approaching. One that intrigued him. This new presence held the same thirst for conflict, and a sense of sophistication. Yet still held onto the childlike innocence Hakufu had for it.

Uncertain of this person's intentions Naruto immediately utilized the new scope of his ability and teleported to the roof of the building. Outpacing even his father in pure speed, since he didn't use any sort of space-time jutsu. His movement was pure speed alone.

He took a moment for the motion sickness to wear off and deactivated his cloak. Afterall, a spiky haired glowing man would standout a little.

* * *

He went into the building, a bowling alley and went for where he sense both Hakufu and the other.

The cashier saw where he was headed and decided to interfere, big mistake. Why someone would ask? Because unlike Hakufu, Ryofu, or some of the other fighters; Naruto doesn't give a damn about this man.

"Hey, uh, sir! You can't-"

He was silenced by Naruto throwing a punch that sent him careening into, and through, the wall behind him.

Naruto finally took notice of the other.

A dark skinned girl with short black hair in a short overall style female school uniform colored in grey with a white undershirt and several large, round, red objects hanging off her wrists and ankles.

Naruto recognized them immediately, training weights. And judging by the size and design hefty ones that most people would be crippled by. Yet this girl showed no slowing from them.

She moved to open the door but stopped when Naruto appeared beside her.

She jumped back in surprise and said, "Whoa! Who are you?"

Naruto replied with a serious tone and matching expression, "Considering a friend of mine is in here I should ask you the same thing."

She gave response somewhere between a scoff and a smirk and pointed to the door and said plainly, "If that's the case, then you should deal with those perverts."

Keeping his attention on her he said, "Oh I will. My friend is a blatant moron but has a rather conveniently keen danger sense. Once she realizes she's in trouble, and if I don't deal with you first, she'll do something. So, like I said. Who are you and what do you want?"

She put a hand on her hip and said with confidence, "I'm Ukitsu and I'm here to fight Hakufu Sonsaku."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and activated his chakra senses and scanned her body for combat potential and found to be high enough to give Hakufu some trouble. Meaning she was someone he wanted her to steer clear of for the time. He couldn't make use of the booby bombed halfwit if she was incapacitated. Looking at Ukitsu he said, "Sorry. Sonsaku's going to have take a rain check. Now if you don't mind, I have some slimy perverts to deal with."

Deciding the man was interesting, and rather cute, Ukitsu decided to hang back and watch.

Naruto smirked, it'd been a long time since he got to do this. Taking the time to make sure everything was right, he smashed his foot into the door. Buckling the metal object across the middle, shattering the glass, and sending it smashing into the back wall hard enough to embed itself.

Ushering up his best Sasuke impression, he walked in slowly with his hands in his pockets and a bored expression on his face. He turned to the two stunned, and ready to wet themselves, perverts and said calmly, "I think you're done here." He was hard-pressed to suppress his smirk when the two numbskulls fluttered between fear and anger, trying to decide which was more important; a nice piece of ass or their lives.

Much to their misfortune, and the blonde's amusement, they made the wrong choice and stood up in a defensive manner, trying to impress Hakufu. Who could herself trounce these idiots. Which they evidently knew based on their wildly shaking knees.

The first one, a man with dark skin, short hair, and a scruffy beard looked Naruto in the eye with a weak glare and said, "W-who the hell do you think you are!? Barging in here like that!?"

Naruto maintained his expression and pointed to Hakufu and said, "I'm here to break up your two idiots' upcoming rape charge."

Even Ukitsu witnessed their faces and was holding her, hunched over, and sides shaking as she suppressed her laughter.

Hakufu was simply swaying from side to side in a hunger induced daze, it's likely she didn't even know Naruto was there.

The other man, a lighter skinned man with blonde hair tried to look impressive and declared, "We don't know what you're talking about! We were just having a fun time singing with our friend when you barged in!"

Naruto snorted and said, "Alright. If that's what you think; prove it by beating me."

The two weighed their options silently before charging him.

In an instant Naruto was behind them.

The two turned in surprise only to collapse in a half dead heap covered in bruises and welts.

Ukitsu's eyes shot open and all laughter ceased as she witnessed that. She had barely seen him move, simply teleporting, let alone land that many blows. She suddenly felt herself becoming very afraid and very excited at the same time.

Naruto sighed and then let out a small chuckle before walking over to Hakufu and attempting to get her attention.

At first he just called her name, which didn't work. Then he waved his hand in front of her, eliciting no reaction. He even tried snapping his fingers to no avail. His conniving grin returned as he said, "Sonsaku, wake up stupid."

Hakufu immediately shot to attention and swung at him, not coming close to him and shouted, "Don't call me stupid!"

Naruto grinned and said, "Had to wake you up somehow. So, you ready to go?"

She blinked a few times before turning to the two men and moaned, "Awww, they were gonna treat me to lunch."

Naruto sighed in irritation and thought, '_She's as dumb as I was at twelve. And I had the mental capacity of an eight year old at the time to boot. I'm not even sure they have a word for this level of retarded._'

After she finished complaining she noticed Ukitsu and asked dumbly, "Who's she?"

Naruto looked at Ukitsu and sent the message, 'Stay quiet' with only a glance. To which she seemed to acquiesce.

Naruto waved it off and said, "No one important. Now let's get going. I know a good place to get a bite to eat and I'll treat you on the way."

Hakufu immediately jumped up and pumped an arm up shouting, "Yay!" And despite her immaturity, Naruto couldn't help but notice the enticing things it did to her chest.

He sighed again and thought, '_For someone that dumb to look like _that_ is almost a crime. I'm seriously going to need to give her some of my personal instruction to make sure she doesn't swallow her tongue or something._' With yet another sigh he said, "Come on Sonsaku. Let's get going before you start talking to vehicles or something."

Ignoring, or likely not catching, his brazen insult, she said excitedly, "Okay!"

* * *

The two walked to a nearby restaurant that Naruto noticed had a chef and daughter combo eerily similar to Tauchi and Ayame, but brushed it off as one of time's illusions.

After that they left and returned to the Nanyo area, Naruto trying to tell about his plans for training, but being interrupted as his less than smart companion couldn't keep her attention locked.

Eventually they reached a bridge and were beginning to cross it when he heard her gasp in shock.

Deciding he'd better stop from trying to chase a butterfly by jumping over the railing he looked; and what he saw surprised more than a little.

He saw on an outcropping someone he recognized as Genjo Kakouton from Yoshu Academy. He was an A-rank fighter and famous for his catchphrase, which was to shout 'basics' during his battles. Mostly because he relied on little more than the basic techniques during battle. It was assumed by most he did so out of some strange sense of duty, but Naruto believed it to be because he was incapable of more complex moves. Which still didn't stop him rising to A-rank.

Kakouton had short, scruffy black hair he kept under a beige beanie and had grey eyes. He also wore a yellow t-shirt with an orange stripe across the chest and baggy green pants. He also had a pair of dog tags around his neck.

Naruto sighed as he noticed the intensely excited expression Hakufu had while bouncing on the balls of her feet. What did him in was the puppy-dog eyes she gave him. Relenting with groan he motioned to the fight and said, "Go ahead."

She squealed in excitement and immediately jumped over the railing.

Naruto cupped a hand by his mouth and shouted, "But if things get hairy I'm interfering!" He grumbled as she didn't seem to hear him and started fighting, while also talking with her eccentric new comrade.

* * *

"Hey! This looks like fun!" she shouted as she ducked a punch and delivered an elbow to the gut, sending her would-be attacker to the ground.

Kakouton looked at her and said, "You're rather cute. You know the basics?"

Dodging another attack and returning a heel-kick she asked dumbly, "Basics?"

Kakouton nodded while doding and retaliating without moving from his spot and said, "Yup. The best way to become a great fighter is to know the basics. Like this!" He started as he launched a few attacks, "Punch!" Doing as he shouted he launched a simple punch at his target. A simple punch that could propel a human sized object at high enough speeds to buckle concrete; but a simple punch nonetheless. He continued by saying, "Kick!" and giving a standard but effective snap-kick that sent his opponent airborne before crashing back down unconscious. "And block!" he said as he blocked his opponent before returning fire with a rib punch that audibly cracked several ribs and downed his attacker.

Hakufu was so impressed, if by his fluency in basic moves or simply his grandstanding Naruto didn't know or care. He could only watch with a small hint of nostalgia as he remembered his early years as a genin, where he would go wild over even the idea of learning something new. Even if it was simply a new application of something he already mastered.

He was brought out of his tour through memory lane when Hakufu was brought into a grapple by one opponent as another pulled a knife and began cutting her shirt.

Irritated and wanting to leave teleported there and delivered a back-handed punch on contact. The result was an unconscious halfwit flying through the air with several missing teeth as crashed into the ground hard.

Hakufu was completely confused trying to process what happened, as were the other combatants. Namely Kakouton, who had a mix of confusion and worry. Confusion at how the blonde suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and worry about what it would mean to face him.

He was given his answer when he spotted Naruto's magatama. He froze at its color. Orange. The color given out only to the most powerful toushi. Most only knew of two toushi at that rank, and one was dead. What that meant to Kakouton was that this person was strong enough that even his leader, Moutoku Sousou, would have trouble defeating him.

But that couldn't stop him. The idea that such a powerful toushi not only existed but was standing in front of him sent chills down Kakouton's spine, freezing him to his core.

Naruto noticed not only Kakouton but the others looking at him, ready to fight; so he decided to release some of his chakra outwards.

All of the toushi lower than B in the area collapsed immediately. The B-ranks fell to their knees and Kakouton along with the other A-ranks were having trouble breathing.

Kakouton was not sure what to think. The pure power radiating off of Naruto was defeaning, it was as if he was looking at the physical embodiment of power. Then, his better judgment was overwritten and he charged at the blonde.

Only to be easy and effortlessly swatted away like an insect, plowing straight into a wall, kicking up debris and dust.

The conscious toushi in the area were in shock. Genjo Kakouton, one of the biggest toushi in Kyosho Academy was swatted away like a fly.

Naruto looked around and said calmly, "I'm in no mood to play around at this point. So unless you all want to die leave now."

Wasting no time at all the other toushi picked up their unconscious allies and ran off.

Naruto then noticed movement and saw Kakouton stand up, shakily, but standing anyway. The blonde was actually impressed, that punch should have shattered his skull. Not to mention crashing into the wall like that.

Kakouton looked at Naruto, smirked, got into a fighting stance and said, "Alright! You and me, right now!"

Naruto turned to him and sighed. He then said, "I'd advise against that. Unlike others I've fought I'm not concerned with your life. So I won't hold back."

Kakouton smirked and said, "Perfect. Let's goooo!" He shouted as he charged the blonde.

Naruto then vanished from view and almost immediately reappeared behind Kakouton.

The other teen widened his eyes in surprise and spun on his heel to attack. He stopped when a sensation like being hit by a truck enveloped his body. He could almost feel every bone in his body shattering, every organ shredding. He released a cold sweat before trembling and collapsing on to one knee. He vomited before looking at the blonde with an expression between sheer excitement and rage. It turned to immutable fear when he noticed Naruto looking over his shoulder with a bored expression. The kind a child gives to an insect when it's finished playing with it. The fact that Naruto could launch an attack like that and look bored afterwards sent every cell in his body into flight mode.

But something prevented that as he stood back up, his entire body shaking as he said, "I…I can't let you beat me. Not until, I fix this dojo."

Naruto would have face-faulted but was too irritated to do so and simply asked, "What do you mean?"

"The street. The setting for street fights. It is to us what a traditional dojo is to other martial artists. I cannot let this damage remain," he said with conviction.

Naruto looked around and sighed. He then placed a hand on the ground and all of the damaged areas released light blue sparks before repairing themselves. He stood up and looked and Kakouton and said, "There it's fixed. Now get going. I still prefer not to kill, but will if you're that stubborn."

Kakouton wanted to protest, but knew just from looking at Naruto that if he even attempted to fight him in his current condition that his death would be inevitable. Kakouton sighed and said, "Alright. But the Big Fighters Tournament is coming up. When and if Kyosho fights Nanyo I want a rematch."

Seeing the sheer determination and will to fight in his eyes, Naruto couldn't help to smirk. This kid, this man was not some rank thug who enjoyed fighting for the feeling of dominance or because of some other goal. The fighting was the goal for him. It had been a long time since the blonde saw someone with such a pure love of battle. Yet, in one day he had seen two separate people both the same insane love of fighting that was pure. He wasn't sure if Hakufu was in the category since he wasn't sure she was smart enough to appreciate it beyond the primal adrenaline rush.

Sighing Naruto said with a lopsided smirk, "Sure. Maybe then you won't be exhausted and I can actually enjoy myself."

Kakouton smirked and stuck out his fist, "Count on it."

Naruto was at first confused but then realized what he wanted and proceeded with the fist bump. He was certain it was an illusion, but he could swore he saw Killer Bee take Kakouton's place for a split second. The thought only made him smile as he waved to the other warrior as he and Hakufu walked away.

* * *

The duo later arrived at Koukin's house as night fell. They walked through the front gate and Koukin rushed to Hakufu, seeing the tear in her shirt and her rather dirty complexion.

He stopped right in front of them panting and said, "Hakufu! Where were you!?"

Hakufu knuckled her head and said, "I had to find myself. Oh! Koukin! I met this really strong fighter today. He was so cool!"

Koukin blinked and looked at Naruto who simply waved his hand to say 'ignore it' and the bluenette nodded.

The three walked up and Naruto for a split second saw Goei's normal clueless smile become almost as warm as Tsunade's before reverting. He sighed and thought, '_I'm seriously going to need help. I'm seeing ghosts._'

The group walked inside and Naruto found Myousai plus his parents in Goei's living room.

He looked at them and said, "Mom, dad. What are you two doing here?"

Kushina turned to him and giggled, then said, "We should ask you the same thing. Also, what's up with that outfit?"

Naruto scrunched his eyes in annoyance and said, "Ey! Don't knock orange! It's the greatest color ever."

Minato simply threw his head back in laughter and said, "Right. So you mind telling us?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Halfwit over here got herself lost and I had to go fetch her." He crossed his arms and said, "And I found being hit on by a couple perverts." He then put his right arm on the elbow of his left and flexed with a smirk and said, "But I took care of 'em."

"But what abo-" she started to add but was stopped by Koukin and Naruto their hands on her mouth, causing her to blink in confusion.

* * *

The whole group ate a dinner that Goei and Kushina prepared.

The two exited the kitchen with Kushina looking irked and Goei looking satisfied.

Naruto and company looked confused but Naruto and Koukin immediately guessed the cause when Goei sent the blonde a sly grin followed a wink; which was accompanied by Kushina snapping her chopsticks and a vein popping in her head.

The Uzumaki's left the house and before Naruto could discuss his training plans with Hakufu his mother grabbed him by the collar and dragged.

* * *

Around that same time at a safe house Ryofu used near Rakuyo, she walked in with a plate of food.

Lying on the futon in front of her was Saji, with a cast on his arm and a brace around his neck. He glanced at Ryofu with the food and smirked, "Well, I was wondering when you'd come back. I was getting lonely."

She returned a sly smirk and said, "Oh don't worry Saji. I'd _never_ forget you." She walked in exaggerated motions the caused her skirt to pleasingly move up.

Saji followed her movements perversely but hid the fact he could tell something was on her mind.

Something was. She couldn't stop thinking about the blonde she had fought. He seemed so familiar to her and yet she couldn't think why. Ignoring it she sat down and fed Saji his food in silence, keeping up her smirk despite racking her brain trying to remember him.

After they ate, Saji sat up and looked at her. He smiled and said, "Well Ryofu that was a wonderful meal. Why don't you allow me to repay it?"

"Oh, and what did you have in mind?" she asked seductively.

He simply smirked and moved her over to the bed, proceeding to caress her lips with his own before slowly moving down her body. Kissing her neck, nibbling on a few spots.

Which elicited a pleasure moan from the green-haired girl.

He then moved at a slightly faster pace, caressing her breasts before moving down to her legs. He looked up at her as he removed her undergarments, already dampened with pleasure. He then spoke sensually, "Don't worry Ryofu. Whatever's bothering you, I'll protect you from it."

As he began to give her his own form of defense her eyes snapped open and all of her memories of Naruto flooded in. Specifically the moment he saved her from those bullies all those years ago.

* * *

_One of the boys with short messy black hair leered at them and said, "So Housen, this is who you've been hanging out with? Some blonde haired freak? Though I guess you two match, what with your freaky green hair!" The whole group then started laughing at them._

_Ryofu was about to fight when Naruto put his hand in front of her and said, "You don't need to fight Ryo-chan, I'll protect you."_

* * *

Attempting to push past the sensations Saji was giving her she lightly pressed on his head and said his name multiple times, going from pleasure to concern quickly.

He paused and looked at her with a sly grin and asked, "What is it, my sweet Ryofu?"

Rather than smirk at him she felt disgusted, remembering how Naruto had treated her and said while panting lightly, "I, I just remember…something Toutaku wanted me to do." Pulling up her panties she said, "And if I don't finish it quickly he'll send Kaku to investigate."

Saji nodded as he licked his lips and said, "Though we didn't finish, I enjoyed our little 'chat'."

She feigned a smirk as she rushed out the door.

Saji's smirk fell into a frown as he tried to discern where her uncertainty came from. Then decided to lay back down and try to sleep.

* * *

Ryofu ran from the safe house and found a tree to brace herself with as she huffed and sweated as the memories and emotions from her short time with Naruto returned. She then immediately realized, the person she fought _was_ Naruto. She remembered he had come for Saji, likely meaning he was from Nanyo and made up her mind to find and speak with him.

Before that, however, she had to come up with a plausible excuse for her absence to give to Toutaku.

After getting one she made a beeline for the orchid house and calmed herself before walking in.

* * *

She saw Toutaku in his usual position, having an assortment of Rakuyo's most attractive female students surrounding him whilst resting his head on the lap of his head advisor, Bunwa Kaku.

She was a girl around Ryofu's age with fair skin and long black hair that she tied into two seperate ponytails with purple ribbons at the ends along with flowing bangs framing her face and a single cowlick sticking up. She wore a pair of large round glasses over her red-ornage eyes along with the usual Rakuyo female uniform.

Kaku looked at Ryofu and the two shared nasty looks. Kaku then asked in a haughty tone, "Need something, Ryofu?"

Narrowing her eyes she responded, "Yes actually. Toutaku," the bruised brunette glanced at her with his usual expression as she continued, "I've got some personal business to attend to. As a result I'm going to be gone for a few days."

Toutaku narrowed his eyes suspiciously but nodded all the same. He then said while twirling one of his mastavalia's, "Vey well. Just don't take too long. The tournament is approaching and I want all of my best here to compete."

She bowed and left the school immediately, not even grabbing her bag.

* * *

The next afternoon, Naruto was leaving Nanyo along with Myousai, Koukin, and Hakufu as the group was conversing, mostly about Naruto's training plan and how he would like to add Koukin and Hakufu to it.

Koukin had witness a portion of Naruto's training and saw how insane it was and naturally declined at first. But after some pleading from Hakufu and teasing from Naruto he relented.

They were walking out of the gate and talking about how they would start when Naruto noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Suspicious he turned to his friends and said, "Hey, I've actually got something I need to do, so think you could go ahead without me. I'll meet you there."

Hakufu immediately, "Awww! But you said you would train me!"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Don't worry. It won't be more than an hour or two."

Hakufu puffed out her cheeks and relented, "Alright. But you better agree to give me even more attention on training though!" she demanded.

Naruto agreed noncommittally and began to run off. But stopped and turned to Myousai, "Oh, and Kakouen. Feel free to smack Goei upside the head if she starts saying anything perverse. The last thing I need is random shivers while I'm busy."

"Right," she said succinctly.

Naruto sighed and thought, '_I really need to break her out of that shell sometime._' He waved to them and ran off.

* * *

He rounded the nearby corner and immediately found a surprise waiting for him.

Leaning up against the wall with a content smirk was none other than Housen Ryofu.

His eyes widened but he hid it, just in case she was sent by Toutaku. Evening himself out he said, "Ryofu. Why're here?"

She frowned and said guiltily, "I've…remembered."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and asked, "Have you?"

She turned to him and smiled sadly with a nod.

He returned with a soft smile and said, "Then I suppose we've some catching up to do.

He pointed to a nearby restaurant and said, "How about that ice cream parlour?"

She nodded and the two went over.

* * *

As they walked in Naruto sighed as the two received a healthy dose of stairs. Ranging from lust and jealousy from the men, towards Ryofu and towards Naruto for being with Ryofu, to irritation and jealousy from the women; both at Ryofu for stealing their men's attention and for looking like she does.

The two sat down right as a waitress walked up and handed them menus and asked for their drinks. Naruto ordered simply water while Ryofu ordered a soft drink.

After ordering Naruto started the conversation, "So, where do we begin?"

Ryofu looked down with a sigh and shrugged. She smiled pathetically and said, "Not sure. I guess we just try and see what's happened between us."

Naruto nodded and asked, "Have all of your memories returned?"

Ryofu thought for a moment and said, "Not sure. Right around four years ago is when my regular memories halt and they melt into my false memories. Though that point has been moving as I remember more."

Naruto nodded again and asked, "Any idea what happened?"

She sighed and said defeated, "Not a clue. It seems I just woke up one day with fake memories. The only thing I can remember throughout all of it is that I missed you. More recently I just felt like something was missing," she smiled and said, "But at least now I know what it is."

It was at that time their drinks showed up.

Naruto took a sip of his water and said, "Well that's a start I guess. Any guess how you started working for a slime ball like Toutaku?"

Ryofu chuckled and said, "Not really no. It seems to have happened in the blank spot of my memories."

Naruto sighed and asked, "Anything else you can think of?"

"Too much that I feel like talking about. The only thing that didn't seem altered was my personality," she said.

"And your training," he added. She looked at him quizzically and he explained, "You're still using some of the powers and techniques I taught you. So it seems that whatever wiped your memory selectively got rid of me."

Ryofu shook her head and said, "Not wiped, altered. My memories of you weren't destroyed they altered and replaced to get you out of the picture."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "My guess is that it was an advanced form of mind control called genjutsu."

She blinked in confusion and asked, "What's that?"

"Do you still remember everything I taught you about chakra?"

She nodded and so he began.

"Genjutsu is a form of jutsu that involves altering somebody's flow of chakra with foreign chakra. It is usually used to cast illusions or cause hallucinations. But more advanced practitioners can use it in the way it was used on you. That is to actually alter a person's thoughts and memories. And what's more is that whoever did it knows who I am and what I'm capable of," he lectured.

Ryofu raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do you know that?"

He thought shortly and said, "Because that person selectively altered your memories so that I was replaced with someone else. Do you know who it was? Because that might help?"

She put her hand to her chin and said while thinking, "It's different in each case. Your training replaces you with some random martial arts guy who I'm not even sure is around anymore. And our…date…replaces you with a boy I liked at the time."

Naruto narrowed his eyes again and thought, '_So whoever it was wasn't trying to shy her towards a specific person for their uses. Just alter her path away from me. My hypothesis on who did it is becoming more and more likely. And this is one case where'd I love to be dead wrong._'

Ryofu noticed his troubled expression and asked, "You alright?"

Snapping out of his thoughts he said, "Ah, yeah. I'm fine. I was just trying to see if I knew anyone who could do that."

"And?" she asked hopefully.

He sighed and shook his head, "Not a clue. I can't think of anyone I know who can use genjutsu and is that proficient at it."

Ryofu frowned and said, "Well enough about me. Mind telling me why you were gone for so long?" She gave him a stare that screamed 'don't lie'.

He nodded and said, "It's because my parents helped with the war efforts in China."

She blinked and said, "Oh. What'd they do?"

"My mom was a doctor and my dad acted as a technician," he said with poorly hidden pride.

She asked, "And you?"

He snickered and said, "Officially I was just their son, along for the ride."

Ryofu narrowed her eyes and asked, "Meaning…you fought?"

He nodded, "Yeah. But don't worry. Even at that age I was far stronger than the average kid and could even hold my own against adults. That's not to say I didn't get hurt; it was just never serious."

She gave a small smile at that and then asked, "So anything else happen?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. Through a rather…interesting…series of events I ended picking up someone to join me in my fights."

She blinked and asked, "Who?"

He said, "A girl named Kakouen Myousai."

She thought for a moment and said, "I can't think of where I've heard that before."

He waved a hand and said, "Don't worry about it."

She nodded and asked, "So how'd you find her?"

He chuckled weakly and said, "Rather interesting story actually."

She narrowed her eyes and said, "Interesting stories usually have poor beginnings."

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, I actually ended up becoming something of a legend among both forces, mostly known as Menma. I didn't fight for either side in particular, just for what side I though was just at the time. Which just usually happened to be the allied forces. Anyway, it was actually around that time that the resistance started using children in their forces, appalling actually; so I decided to focus on attacking resistance forces that had child forces in them. I ended up finding the small group secretly heading towards an allied team ready to ambush them."

He paused to let her digest the information and continued.

"After that I systematically rescued all of the child soldiers from being killed until Myousai was the only one left. I rescued her from one of my own as he tried to…violate her," he paused to let his anger subside and continued. "After that she just ended up joining our little family before we left China."

Ryofu nodded and said, "Sounds like it was interesting." Her countenance then fell as she said, "Naruto," the blonde looked at her with concern, "What should I do now?"

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "About what?"

"About Rakuyo? I could just leave but that would leave Chinkyu there."

Naruto thought for a moment and said, "How about you stay by her until she seems to remember everything, and act as an informant at the same time; but only if you can, otherwise just wait for her to-"

She interrupted him and said, "I'd be happy to. I know Rakuyo isn't the easiest school to spy on because of Toutaku's countermeasures but I should be able to give you a little from the inside. Though I was also wondering…what do we do about…us?"

Naruto chuckled as he stood, "One day at a time. First you have to come to terms with your memories and how everything fits together, then we'll deal with that. Plus I've got some things to do too; like making sure a friend of mine isn't totally worthless."

She nodded as he walked away.

* * *

Naruto exited the store with a groan and thought, '_If the person who's behind this is who I think it is, things just got a whole lot harder._' He grit his teeth as he walked.

* * *

**And that's chapter seven. I hope the length makes up for the long wait but anyway, tell me what you think. It can be about the story, the fights, or that little mini-lemon I added.**

**Also, I want to mention one more thing. Most of my stories are going to go a little while without updates since I just saw the reveal trailer for Kingdom Hearts III and have some catching up to do.**


	8. Naruto vs Taishiji

Chapter VIII

**Alright, so sorry for the wait. But this section of the canon isn't terribly interesting for me so I need to just slog through it. Hopefully as the story picks up updates will be a little more frequent. Anyway, with that done let's go to reviewer responses.**

**TheEternalSage18: No, Chinkyu's one of the protagonists, her memories were altered too.**

**Renjiyamato: Who are you asking about?**

**Uzumaki Crossover: PM about who you think it is and I'll let you know if you're right.**

**SHONEJUMP Guy: You have no idea how right you are about them being dangerous.**

**NiwaTG: Well you're suppositions are creative but no. And I'll try to.**

**seeker of true anime fan fic: Kanu'll be showing up during the Big Fighter's Tournament. I can't wait for it to come out, KH3 I mean.**

* * *

After his meeting with Ryofu, Naruto arrived at Koukin's house to see Hakufu and the others waiting rather impatiently.

He looked at all of their irritated expressions and sweat-dropped. Laughing uncomfortably he said, "Uhh, hi."

Hakufu proceeded to get right in his face and chided, "You said you'd be back in an hour, it's been two."

Naruto chuckled awkwardly and answered, "Y-yeah, I know. Sorry guys, I got a little tied up."

Hakufu blinked and asked, "You were tied up? How'd you get out?"

Everyone sweat-dropped and Naruto just brushed it aside by saying, "I didn't mean it like that. Anyway, if you guys are ready; we can begin training."

Hakufu and the others nodded.

They were about to begin when a new voice spoke up, "Mind if we join?"

Naruto turned around in surprise and saw two people he never expected to see attending his special training; Ryomou and Gakushu.

He blinked in confusion and then asked, "Wait, what're you guys doing here?"

Ryomou grimaced and Gakushu said, "We've heard of your fight with Kakouton, and even the two of us have trouble facing him. If it's true that you were able to so easily fight him, then training with you wouldn't be a bad idea." He looked at Ryomou and frowned, then said, "Of course Ryomou took some…convincing to come."

Naruto smiled and said, "That's fine. So I assume you two would be willing to listen to me? Even if I sound ridiculous?"

Gakushu narrowed his eyes but remained silent, however Ryomou was more vocal.

"Tch, I have no interest in listening to crazy ramblings. I have yet to see proof of your power," she said defiantly.

Naruto smirked and said, "Alright then. There's a good area for training out back, I'll fight the both of you. If I beat you, will you listen then?"

Ryomou smirked as well and said, "_If_."

Naruto nodded and motioned everyone to follow him.

* * *

They arrived at the back of the house in a large yard with a wide flat area outside.

He looked at Ryomou and Gakushu and nudged his head to open area.

Gakushu frowned and Ryomou nodded; the trio then arrived and got into fighting stances.

Naruto looked at Myousai and said, "'Kay Kou-chan, you be ref. No fatal blows."

Myousai nodded and said, "Right. Everyone ready?" She looked at Naruto and he nodded. She then looked at Ryomou and Gakushu and they nodded. She finally nodded, pointed her arm in the air, chopped downwards, and shouted, "Begin!" as she jumped back.

Immediately, before Ryomou and Gakushu could detect, Naruto surged chakra from his feet and blasted forward at blinding speeds. He then hit Gakushu with a bone-crushing backhand; sending the giant careening to the side.

He flew off and skid along the ground, kicking up a dust cloud. A couple seconds later, Ryomou, who was standing behind Gakushu, had blood shoot out of her nose; along with a sensation like massive pressure.

She quickly regained her senses and grit her teeth as she hopped back; narrowly dodging an axe-kick from Naruto.

Her eyes widened when she felt the air shift with his kick. She slid back and ran around him. Ryomou then charged and sent a kick at him. However, right as her kick should have connected, he vanished. She then felt a blunt pain in her midsection as she was sent back.

She bent her head down to look at Naruto but he was gone. Not wanting to get hit again, she slammed her feet down and dug her heels in, dragging along the ground. She _had_ hoped that would stop her flight but it instead caused her to begin tumbling, slamming against the ground as she rolled.

She regained her senses just long enough to see a pillar approaching. She snapped her eyes shut and brought her arms up; but suddenly stopped. She looked around in surprise and found that Naruto had caught her. She looked up at him and gave his trademark grin, causing her to blush in irritation and embarrassment.

She broke free of his grip and grumbled before saying, "Alright, you're stronger than I expected. You're SSS-rank is obviously well deserved."

He smirked and asked, "Well, ready to listen, even if I sound ridiculous?"

Wanting to argue but finding nothing, she sighed in defeat and folded her arms. "Fine," she huffed, then pointed nonchalantly to Gakushu and asked, "Shouldn't you do something about that?"

Naruto looked to the unconscious and swollen Gakushu and chuckled worriedly, "Oh, guess I overdid it."

Myousai twitched an eyebrow and said mockingly, "You think?"

Naruto rubbed his head in embarrassment as the others tried to wake Gakushu.

* * *

After dealing with slumbering giant everyone sat on the deck as Naruto prepared his lesson, an act he'd been doing a lot in the last decade he noticed.

He began by asking, "Who knows what chakra is?"

Myousai raised her hand while the others looked lost.

Naruto flattened his eyes and sighed, "Right. Well, guess we'll start with the basics. Anyone who fights knows what chakra _is_, they simply don't know it by that name."

Hakufu raised an arm and asked, "I'm confused."

Naruto nodded and said chidingly, "I figured, I hadn't gotten started yet."

Hakufu lowered her arms and pouted at being berated.

Clearing his throat, Naruto continued, "As I was saying, chakra is something anyone who fights, even those who aren't toushi, use. The mental state most people call the 'adrenaline rush' is actually the human body pumping itself with chakra; enhancing a person's senses, durability, and strength to a minor degree. That's just fine too, if you're fine with wasting massive amounts of chakra, or chi as you call it, and tiring yourself out."

Everyone gasped lightly and Koukin put up a tremulous hand.

Naruto pointed lazily at him and Koukin asked, "So, that's what that concentration training was for?"

Naruto smirked and said, "Way to go Shuyu, you learn fast." Getting back into his self-coined 'sensei mode' he continued lecturing, "Anyway, if you learn to use and control your chakra, you can get just the right amounts. You can flow less to fight longer, or more to fight harder, and do it consciously to prevent wasteful use of it. Now I've got several exercises to increase chakra control; but you've got to find it first."

"Find it?" Hakufu wondered aloud.

Naruto nodded, "Yup, before you can control your chakra, you gotta find it. Now if you don't mind, I've got some things to take care of. So Kou-chan can teach you this part while I get some things."

Myousai stood up and nodded.

Naruto smiled and said, "Please don't tire them out too much."

Everyone turned blue as Myousai sported a smile, a sickeningly sweet smile that spelled danger.

Naruto walked back into the house as Myousai began instructing the group how to find their chakra.

* * *

After getting a certain distance away, Naruto made a half hand sign and vanished in a flash.

Nearby an object glinted deviously.

* * *

Naruto appeared in another flash in a field on the edge of town. He looked around and flared some chakra, detecting no onlookers.

He then produced three hundred clones and divided them into groups of fifty. The groups practiced sealing jutsu, chakra control, multiple different ninjutsus and genjutsus, along with his taijutsu styles. The last group kept up on his kenjutsu, the art of sword wielding.

After verifying the effectiveness of each group and creating a couple more clones to oversee everything and to create more clones when some inevitably dispel he flashed back to Koukin's house.

* * *

As he appeared in Koukin's house he looked around and found no one watching him, right as Goei said behind him, "Oh hello Naruto. I didn't see you there."

Naruto spun around instantly and looked her in the eyes. He saw underneath her benign housewife persona and spied the knowing look. He responded with a pointed look of his own, she simply gave him a squinted smile.

He narrowed his eyes and returned to the group, seeing everyone sweating lightly.

Myousai looked at him and nodded, he smiled in response and said, "Yo, how'd it go?"

Hakufu looked at him in confusion and accused, "Hey, you said you were getting something, so where is it?"

Naruto sweat mildly and then remember who he was dealing with and placated her by saying, "Don't worry, I got it ready."

Hakufu narrowed her eyes but then gave a smile and nod, seemingly satisfied.

After their little back and forth, Myousai said, "They've done well. It took some longer to drudge up their chakra than others. But they can all do it almost instantly now."

Naruto nodded and said, "Good. Now you guys just need to keep doing that until you can do without having to concentrate."

"Awww!" Hakufu pouted and said, "Seriously!?"

Naruto gave an all-too-sweet smile and said in a sing-song tone, "Hakufu, remember what I said? Listen to everything I say, even if it sounds ridiculous."

Hakufu puffed her cheeks in a pout but relented as his expression remained.

The others gave in and did so as well, Koukin actually being the first to get it done.

To everyone's surprise, Ryomou took the longest to be able to access her chakra perfectly, much to her personal ire.

Not wanting her to get disengaged, Naruto told her, "Don't worry Shimei. All it means is that you have the most chakra to grab onto. It took me a while to get it too, you simply have more to work with."

Ryomou narrowed her eyes suspiciously but accepted it for the time.

After that Naruto smirked and said, "Right, now that you're all acquainted with getting your chakra, now you need to learn how to control it. As a result, training here won't really do anymore. There's a nice clearing on the edge of a small forest just on the edge of town. Everyone go there within the hour." Handing them maps he said, "There's the location, get there soon as you can." Naruto then decided to demonstrate what chakra control by leaping onto the roof of Koukin's house, getting shocked gasps from everyone but Myousai; who decided to join him.

* * *

Everyone arrived at the clearing nearly an hour later, with Koukin having to lead Hakufu.

To Naruto's pleasure he had enough time to finish off his shadow clone training.

As they arrived the sun was starting to go down and Naruto said, "Okay, we've got dwindling light so we'll have to continue later."

Most sighed but Hakufu pouted loudly, "Awww, we can train at night!"

Naruto chuckled at her persistence and said, "Sorry Sonsaku, you're not the only here."

She puffed her cheeks again but accepted with a bop from Ryomou.

Naruto smirked happily, seeing the group starting to get along. He then began lecturing again, "I'll go a little longer but not much. For training chakra control, we'll use leaves."

"Leaves?" Gakushu asked. "How's that work?"

Naruto grabbed one with a smirk and slapped it on his forehead.

Everyone was confused but started to come to realization as he pulled his hand away. The leaf stuck to his forehead as he moved around, it staying perfectly in place. Seeing the recognition in their eyes he said, "Alright then, you basically need to concentrate chakra onto the spot you place the leaf. If you do it well enough, it'll stick. So just grab a leaf and try it out for a while."

They all nodded and did as he instructed.

Hakufu tried but had an abundance of trouble getting it to stick more than a split second before blasting off.

Naruto looked at her and said, "You're using too much. Try and cut back on how much you're sending to your forehead that should help."

She nodded and did as he suggested, getting it stick for almost a second before blasting off again, leaving her with puffed cheeks.

Koukin placed the leaf on his head and it stuck for nearly a second before falling off.

Naruto suggested, "You're doing the exact opposite. You're not using enough, so the leaf has nothing to stick to."

Koukin nodded and sent more chakra to the spot, getting the leaf to stick a little longer.

Ryomou had roughly the worst results, with the leaf blasting off before her hand was even down. Listening to Naruto's lecture she cut back and maintained contact for marginally longer.

Gakushu seemed to do the best, getting it to stick the longest before falling off. He increased the chakra to get it to stick.

* * *

After roughly an hour of practice, Naruto decided to cut it off. "Allllrright everyone. Let's shut it down, it's almost dark and everyone's starting to lose chakra."

Everyone, even an exhausted Hakufu, agreed and they prepared to leave when Ryomou asked, "When do we meet again?"

Naruto was so surprised the she's the one who asked it took him a moment to respond. "Uhm, Monday I guess, we'll break on weekends."

They all nodded and left.

Ryuujin chuckled and said, **"**_**You would've made a good jonin.**_**"**

Naruto smirked and responded, '_Well, well, look who's decided to come back. Anyway, who knows. I might have._'

Naruto and Myousai returned home and joined Minato and Kushina for dinner.

* * *

During dinner, Naruto noticed Myousai's distant expression. Afterwards he decided to investigate.

"Hey, Kou-chan," he said.

She turned to him and gave a simple, "Hm?" in response.

Naruto asked, "What's up, something wrong?"

Myousai looked conflicted before turning to him and saying, "It's nothing, you don't need to worry."

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and said soothingly, "Kou-chan, I am an expert at spotting lies, and you're blaring like a siren."

Myousai looked at him with wavering conviction and released a heavy sigh. "You're right. I'm just tired, that's all."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

She responded, "A lot of things have happened recently; I just haven't had time to rest."

Naruto rubbed his chin and said, "If that's the case…why don't the two of us take a little time to ourselve?"

Myousai thought for a moment and said with a light blush, "Okay, that sounds good."

Naruto gave a big grin and said, "Great! Then it's a date!"

Myousai froze and gave a hurried nod and flashed into her room.

Naruto blinked in surprise and then shrugged, heading to his own room.

* * *

The next morning, Koukin was sitting outside his house with Hakufu practicing outside.

Koukin seat-dropped as Hakufu practiced, shouting a single word as she through attacks.

Along with each punch, kick, and strike she shouted, "Basics!"

Koukin sighed and said, "Hey Hakufu!"

She stopped long enough to look at him and say, "What's up Koukin?"

He asked, "Where'd you learn that anyway?"

Hakufu smiled and said, "This really cool fighter I met a couple days ago."

"A couple days ago?" Koukin mumbled. He then said, "Oh, she must've met whoever it was during her little absence."

"Oohh, that fighter wouldn't just so happen to be a boy, would it?" Goei said beside Koukin, surprising him.

Hakufu narrowed her eyes and asked, "Why do you care? Wait, you want to date him, don't you, you old hag?"

Goei gave a sweet smile and immediately began spanking Hakufu, chiding her by saying, "What was that?"

"You heard me!"

"Try again."

"I'm sorry!"

Koukin watched their back and forth and sighed. His phone then rang, he looked and was surprised to see Gakushu was calling him.

He answered it and said, "Hello, what do you need Gakushu?"

He raised an eyebrow after a moment and said, "Right, I'll meet you there."

* * *

Naruto and Myousai were at their house getting ready to go out.

Rather than his usual attire or his ninja outfit, Naruto was wearing a simple grey t-shirt and beige cargo shorts.

He left his room and went to the living room where he found Myousai.

"Hey Kou-chan," he said happily with a wave.

She gave a curt smile and nodded. She wore a simple yellow button down shirt with a short blue skirt and black high-heeled shoes.

Naruto smiled and said with a thumbs up, "You look great. So, shall we get going?" He motioned to the door and she nodded as they left.

* * *

In the same ice cream shop Naruto met Ryofu at, Koukin met Gakushu.

Walking over to the table where the giant sat Koukin bowed and said, "What did you want to meet about Gakushu?"

As the waitress walked over, Gakushu pointed to an item and said to Koukin, "It's about Sonsaku."

"Hakufu? What's going on?" Koukin asked in concern.

Nodding, Gakushu answered, "It seems one of Toutaku's controlled schools has sent people after her."

"Who?" Koukin asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yoshu Academy. And to make things worse, it seems Yoshu's most fearsome toushi is among them."

"Most fearsome? Wait you mean-!" Koukin began but was interrupted.

"Yes, Shigi Taishiji. If that's true, then Sonsaku is in great danger. The only thing that could save her is Tashiji's sense of honor; but even that may have limits," Gakushu said.

Clenching his fists, Koukin said, "Well, if that's the case…then I'll have to fight instead."

"What? Shuyu, don't. They'll kill you," Gakushu warned.

Shaking his head, Koukin said, "It's fine. I spent a long time being protected, now I'll protect Hakufu. Plus, I got training from a SSS-rank toushi remember."

Sighing, Gakushu said, "I see you won't be convinced." Smirking, Gakushu then added, "It seems that man's had a positive effect on you. Just don't be stupid."

Right then a massive sundae filled with strawberries, bananas, three different flavors of ice cream and plenty of chocolate sauce.

Looking at it, Gakushu said, "Now Shuyu, I need to ask you something important."

Swallowing, Koukin nodded and said, "What is it?"

"Should I start eating this from the top, or with the strawberries?" Gakushu asked.

Koukin face-faulted and then scratched his cheek and said nervously, "Ahh, well…I'm not sure."

* * *

Naruto and Myousai had just left the house and were walking down the sidewalk approaching the entertainment district.

As they left, Naruto noticed that Myousai was excited about heading out. That made him happy and he decided that he'd let her take the lead today.

* * *

They soon arrived and looked around. Naruto smiled and was about to pose a question to Myousai but noticed she seemed unsteady. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Something wrong Kou-chan?"

She shook her head as she continued to look around.

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion and then decided to ask, "So, anything you feel like doing?"

She looked at him with an unsure expression and then said, "No, nothing specific."

Naruto sighed and thought, '_Well, guess a little nudging'll be needed._' He motioned her on and they continued walking. After a couple minutes Naruto motioned his hand from one side to the other and asked, "So there isn't anything that piques your interest?"

With a hard expression that was giving way to confusion she asked, "What about you? Anything for you?"

Naruto put his hand on his chin and came up with an idea. He pointed somewhere random, a grocery store, and said, "How about there?"

With a cynical expression she asked flatly, "Seriously?"

Naruto shrugged and asked, "Do you want to?"

With her same look she said plainly, "No."

Naruto smirked and said, "Least we're getting somewhere. So, how about there?" He pointed to a nearby mall as he spoke.

Myousai looked at him and nodded with a light smile.

Naruto stuck out a hand and said, "Lead the way."

* * *

Elsewhere in town, Koukin was returning from his visit with Gakushu and was taking a shortcut past a junkyard; a decision he quickly regretted.

As he walked by, a voice called out and said, "Hey! You Koukin Shuyu?"

Koukin turned and saw a large group of people standing amidst a pile of junked cars.

The apparent leader was a young man with short dark brown hair, long side burns, a small pointed beard and narrow black eyes. He wore a long-sleeved yellow shirt and baggy black pants. He smirked and said teasingly, "Come on, let's talk."

Koukin grit his teeth and complied.

* * *

Naruto and Myousai arrived at the mall and walked up to the entrance. Before entering Naruto said, "He, Kou-chan."

She turned to him with a curious expression.

"We'll just walk around the mall, you see just about anything that interests you and we'll take a look, 'kay?" he asked with a smile.

Myousai frowned slightly but nodded nonetheless.

As the two walked in Naruto got a feeling that something annoying was about to happen.

They walked around, peering in the windows of the different shops for quite a while. Naruto noticed Myousai meekly eyeing the different shops, but she never spoke up about anything.

After nearly twenty minutes, Naruto decided they weren't going to get anywhere like that. He scanned around the area and was about to suggest a store when he heard a suppressed gasp. He looked to his left and saw Myousai completely focused on something. He followed her gaze and saw what it was.

It was a small eclectic shop that sold many different things.

He couldn't tell what she was specifically looking at and decided to investigate, combined with a small prank. He put his hand in front of her face to block her view, she leaned to the right, his lip twitched on one side. He moved his hand, and she knelt down, resulting in a two-sided twitch of the lips. He moved his hand down, she straightened up to look, and he released a stifled chuckle.

After his little game he discovered what she was focused on; a pair of blue gloves with special markings on them. The markings resembled an eastern style dragon encircling a six-pronged star. He was confused a little.

He tapped her shoulders and asked, "You like those gloves?"

She jumped lightly and nodded. She turned back and said with a nostalgic look, "Yes, that symbol is the ouroboros. It was the symbol the resistance back in China used as our insignia. It was foolish thinking back, but that time was still something important to me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he listened.

She turned to him with a light smile and small blush and said, "After all, were it not for that, I wouldn't have met you."

Naruto's face heated up and he said while scratching his cheek, "Ah, thanks. Well, you want them?"

She nodded and they went in to pay.

* * *

They came back out with Myousai wearing the gloves and a smile.

Naruto smirked and said, "So, anywhere you want to go now?"

She nodded and said, "Yes, actually."

He motioned ahead and they continued walking.

* * *

Back at the Shuyu residence, Hakufu was holding her cellphone as the other line rang. After a moment she was told to leave a message and she growled.

She glared at the phone and said, "Koukin! Where are you?"

"What's wrong Hakufu?" Goei asked as she patted a set of sheets.

Hakufu looked at her mother and said, "It's Koukin. He left without saying anything a while ago. I tried calling him but he won't answer. I wasn't done training yet and he just left!"

Goei frowned and said, "Why don't you go look for him?"

After a moment the phone rang. Hakufu looked down and it was Koukin's number. She answered it in a huff and shouted, "Koukin! Where are you?!"

She heard a chuckled on the other line, followed by a voice saying, "So, you're Hakufu Sonsaku."

She blinked and said, "Koukin? You sound weird, what's going on?"

A sigh was heard on the other line as the voice said, "I'm not Shuyu dullard. But, I've got Shuyu, if you don't want him turned to mulch I suggest you come to the Maryuku Junkyard in the next two hours. Otherwise, I can't guarantee I can hold my men back."

Hakufu trembled and shouted, "Don't you dare hurt Koukin!"

"Hakufu? What's going on?" her mother asked.

Without answering Hakufu stood up and said, "Mom, I need to take your bike, I'll be back soon."

"Hakufu? Hakufu. Hakufu!" Goei yelled fruitlessly as her daughter left. She just sighed and said, "Well, she definitely has a fire in her belly." She chuckled and pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number.

* * *

Back at the junkyard, Koukin stood crouched on the ground, covered in bruises and cuts. He was panting and said, "You bastard, you leave her out of this."

The man chuckled and chucked Koukin's phone at him, hitting him square on the head and said, "Shut up. Sonsaku is the whole point of this you maggot. So wasting our time with you is worth it to take her out."

Koukin grit his teeth and thought, '_Dammit, Hakufu stay away. If only Uzumaki was here._'

Back at the mall, Naruto and Myousai heard shocked gasps and violent shouts, some of which vulgar, and looked to the source.

A teenage girl barreling down the road on a bright pink bicycle.

Myousai pointed and asked, "Isn't that?"

Naruto nodded and as the girl flew by, he grabbed her by the collar; stopping her dead and sending the bike tumbling. Straight into light pole, bending into an unrecognizable mess. Naruto looked down at Hakufu and asked, "Yo, where's the fire?"

She looked at him puzzled and asked, "Fire? There's no fire."

Naruto sighed and said, "It's just a saying. Anyway, where were you off to in such a hurry?"

Hakufu gasped and shouted, "It's Koukin! Some jerks found him and beat him up and're holding him…uhm…what's that word?"

"Hostage?" Naruto said plainly.

Hakufu nodded and said, "Yeah! That's it! They're holding him hostage!"

Naruto dropped her and sighed. He then said, "I knew something irritating was going to happen." He looked at Myousai pathetically and said, "Sorry Kou-chan, gonna have to cut this date short."

She nodded and said, "It's fine. We need to help Shuyu."

He nodded in return and asked Hakufu, "Sonsaku, where is he?"

"The Maryuku Junkyard," she responded.

Naruto nodded and said, "I know where that is. Kou-chan, let's go."

She nodded and the three took off.

* * *

The group of people stood at the junkyard, the leader holding a crowbar, tapping it against a car window as he sported a bored expression. He grumbled and shouted, "Grr, where is she!?"

Koukin huffed as he was being restrained by two people and said, "She'll never show, you lose."

The man growled, but then smirked as he looked up and pointed the crowbar towards the entrance and said, "Oh really?"

Koukin turned around and saw Hakufu. He became worried, but then became calmer as he saw who was with her.

Coming down the short road that lead into the junkyard was Hakufu, Myousai and Naruto.

The leader of the others smirked and said, "Well, well, so you came Sonsaku."

Naruto walked up with his hands in his pockets and said, "Sorry pal, but you'll have to get through me first, and I'll just tell you now that you won't."

The man grumbled and said, "Do you know who I am? I'm Hannou, one of Yoshu's leaders, and what about you?"

Naruto just sighed and flicked his magatama.

Hannou looked at it in confusion, but his eyes slowly widened as he realized what color it was. He swallowed nervously and said, "N-no way."

One of the other students looked at him and asked, "Hannou! Hannou, what's going on? Who is this guy?"

Hannou gripped his crowbar tighter and said through grit teeth, "He's Nanyo's SSS toushi. I always thought that was just some tale." He then quirked his frown into a smile and said, "Yeah, that's it. It's just a tale, you're just pretendin'."

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, there's only one way to prove that."

Hanno walked toward the open space of the junkyard, still holding his crowbar and said, "If you feel like using weapons, be my guest. I'll still beat your ass."

Naruto shrugged and walked into the open space and reached into one of his pockets. Hanno and the others gave confused looks as Naruto pulled out a knife that had a ring at the base, a wooden handle with symbols on it, and a blade with three prongs. Naruto twirled the knife by the ring and said, "You just made this a whole lot harder on yourself."

Hanno smirked and said, "Whatever." He charged forward and swung his crowbar, Naruto easily blocked it with his knife by switching it to the other hand.

Naruto then sent a lightning fast punch that Hanno didn't even register, resulting in him being thrown several feet back.

He straightened himself up and said "What the hell was that?!" He had only enough time to dodge as Naruto slashed at him, missing by inches. He glared, and then flinched. He rubbed his cheek and realized that he had been cut. He glared deeper and said, "How did you do that? I know I dodged it!"

Naruto said straight-faced, "Maybe you didn't."

Hanno snarled and charged forward, swinging his crowbar wildly.

Naruto snorted as he dodged and thought, '_You must be joking. These strikes are so wild and telegraphed it's pathetic._'

After several more seconds of dodging Naruto finally retaliated with a knee to the stomach, sending him soaring into the air again.

Hanno stood on shaky legs and was about to retaliate when a calm, stoic voice said, "That's enough Hanno."

Hanno froze and looked to the entrance. The dark-skinned man from his school meeting showed up to join the party, except he now wore a white t-shirt and dark green pants.

"T-Taishiji!" Hanno was able to force out.

Naruto turned and saw him coming closer and his eyes narrowed. He noticed that his chakra was different. Not only did Taishiji have more than most people, even most toushi, it was far more directed than the chakra of most. Naruto could tell Taishiji was one of the few people in this world that knew how to use chakra itself. Naruto couldn't hold back his smirk.

After approaching, Taishiji looked from Naruto to Hanno and asked, "So, are you the one he fought?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"I see, so be it. I will fight you to get to Sonsaku," Taishiji said plainly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why would you _want_ to do that? Wouldn't it be normal to try and go around me? You'd fail miserably but my point stands."

Taishiji chuckled and said, "I can see how you'd expect that, but when a battle occurs between schools, it's supposed to be one on one. So since you defeated our first toushi our second, me, goes next. But, I'll make you a wager."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and asked, "And what's that?"

"If you defeat me, then this execution will be called off."

"Taishiji! You can't do that! Only Ryuyo or Toutaku can do that and you know they won't," Hanno interrupted.

"You don't seem to understand Hanno, I was selected by Ryuyo and Toutaku as the executioner, therefore I determine if I succeed or fail and the perimeters therein. So you need to stay out of it; besides, you weren't even supposed to be here, Hanno," Taishiji said with slight annoyance.

Hanno averted his gaze down with a glare.

"So, any specifics for this? Or do we just pummel each other until someone passes out?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

Taishiji returned his smirk and said, "I think we'll know when it's over."

Naruto nodded and stowed his weapon as he assumed a taijutsu stance.

Taishiji assumed a stance for his fighting style and prepared for battle.

Everyone in the area swallowed as the tension was palpable.

Nearby a drop of water hit the ground and the two charged.

Taishiji lunged forward as a blur, but Naruto simply vanished.

Taishiji's eyes widened right before he instinctively ducked as an arm rushed overhead.

Naruto smirked as he thought, '_I'm not sure he even knew it was coming, but he still dodged._'

Taishiji watched Naruto slow after the attack and lunged with a left hook.

Naruto bent back to avoid the hit and hopped back before vanishing again.

Taishiji rolled to the side as Naruto reappeared, having only received a punch to the arm as a result.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and thought, '_He's good, guess there's a reason he's so high on the watch list._'

Taishiji spun on his heel and sent a roundhouse that Naruto easily dodged, he then followed up with a quick string of attacks, a punch, a kick, a sweep. Naruto dodged them all, but just barely.

Taishiji stood for a moment and then smirked. He then resumed a fighting stance, but Naruto could tell something was happening. Taishiji was starting to reinforce his body with chakra, not the basic ki that most toushi use but true chakra.

Naruto started to get excited as Taishiji rushed him with even greater speed than before.

Taishiji flew in with a flurry a punches and kicks that would be too fast for most people to see let alone dodge. But to Naruto he was moving in slow motion, allowing him to easily dodge or block each strike.

After a few seconds Taishiji stopped and pulled back from his assault, waiting for Naruto to retaliate. When he didn't Taishiji went in again with more strikes.

What Taishiji didn't know was that Naruto was counting Taishiji's strikes, waiting to find the right time for a counter. After the attack was over Naruto found it. He lunged forward with a chakra enhanced kick that Taishiji was barely able to block. He was still sent sailing across the junkyard.

Naruto was slightly puzzled but then smirked when he noticed Taishiji only had a few scuffs and light cuts. He was expecting the man to come out with a broken arm and a few shattered bones, but instead all of his bones were perfectly intact and Naruto knew why.

Throughout the series of attacks Naruto noticed that not only the speed of the strikes but the power behind it was far more than what most people could withstand, the moves should have broken Taishiji's bones and torn his muscles. But it seems that at some point in his life Taishiji had learned how to reinforce his bones and muscles with chakra so that they could withstand the force of his attacks.

'_So, he wasn't reinforcing his body to use stronger attacks, he was using it to withstand the blowback of those attacks. Smart,_' Naruto thought with a smirk. His smirk widened when he noticed Taishiji pumping more chakra into his body.

Taishiji had a bead of sweat go down his brow and thought, '_I gotta end this quick. I'm at my limit, my energy won't last forever. Time to go all-out._' Taishiji tensed his muscles and then vanished.

To everyone watching it was as if Taishiji had simply vaporized. Naruto smirked as he too vanished.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Koukin muttered aloud.

"You don't know?" Myousai asked.

Koukin was about respond when the sound of loud crashes was heard. His eyes then widened and he said, "You don't mean?"

Myousai nodded and said, "Naruto and Taishiji are moving so fast in their battle that to most they're practically invisible. I am barely able to keep up since I see them as indistinct blurs; but it's likely no one else can even see them."

Right at that moment Naruto and Taishiji reappeared locked in a stalemate. They stood in their locked position, their forearms pressed against each other, each trying to gain the upper hand in a competition of force.

'_Damn, he's reinforced his body to the strength of steel. Unfortunately coursing that much chakra has its drawbacks,_' Naruto thought as he formulated a way to put this to an end. Surging extra chakra into his arm Naruto pushed him off and knocked him off balance. Then, he collected, condensed, and swirled a minimal amount of chakra in his right hand. After that, he shoved the ball of invisible energy straight into Taishiji's core, surging the wild chakra out in all directions.

Naruto smirked as he watched his chakra combine with Taishiji's and the monumental amount he had coursing through his body backfired, resulting in the chakra surging out of Taishiji's body, acting like a blazing fire, burning his body lightly all over and depriving him of strength.

Taishiji widened his eyes as he felt his body become intensely hot, and then fill with pain and then go limp due a lack of strength. He fell to one knee, panting heavily and sweating profusely.

Hanno stood in shock. He had just witnessed a battle between what could only be superhumans. But he noticed Naruto was slightly fatigued, at least he thought he was, and gave the signal to attack, but they all stopped when Taishiji put up a hand.

Pushing himself up and standing on shaky legs, Taishiji said, "No, Hanno. _I_ was selected to be the executioner, and _I_ lost, so this was a failure. Tell Ryuyo I failed, I'll deal with it later."

"But Taishiji, this isn't an order from Ryuyo, it's from Toutaku; and he doesn't accept failure so-" Hanno was stopped by Taishiji who said.

"I'm aware of that, but an execution works the same way regardless of who orders it; and the rules of engagement state that, regardless of the number of attackers, if the main executioner is defeated the execution is considered a failure and is called off," Taishiji said as he picked up the remnants of his sunglasses, before tossing them back down in disappointment.

"Taishiji! This order comes from _Toutaku_, the normal rules don't apply here," Hanno argued.

Taishiji simply ignored him and walked off.

Hanno sighed and signaled the others to leave, but then turned to Naruto and Hakufu and said, "Don't get too comfy Nanyo, you'll get what's coming soon enough."

It was then Naruto decided that this Toutaku wasn't someone to be taken lightly, if someone with Taishiji's raw power and skill was willing to follow his orders. He sighed and looked at the others and said, "Well, wanna get out of here?"

They all nodded, but then a low growl caught their attentions.

They turned to see Hakufu hunched over slightly with a hand over her stomach. She chuckled weakly and said, "Ah ha, guess I'm hungry."

Naruto gave a mumbled chuckle and asked to the others, "Want to go get something to eat? My treat."

Everyone nodded and they proceeded off to a nearby restaurant.

* * *

In a nearby alleyway, Taishiji was proceeding through to go take a break after his battle, but he ran into his leader, Ryuyo. He turned over his shoulder and saw Hanno standing behind him, a mixture of anger and disappointment on his face. Taishiji turned back to Ryuyo and asked, "What's the meaning of this?"

Ryuyo grumbled and said, "Listen Taishiji, Toutaku doesn't accept failure. Since you were defeated, and then refused to allow the others to fight, his orders are to dispose of you like everyone else that fails."

Taishiji ground his teeth and said with mild annoyance, "I'm not interested in jokes Ryuyo."

The blonde growled and said, "It's not a joke Taishiji."

Taishiji narrowed his eyes, and then they shot wide as he felt a sharp pain in his lower back. He turned to see Hanno holding a knife in his back.

Hanno pulled it out and Taishiji stumbled forward before collapsing. Hanno sighed and said, "Sorry Taishiji, but you put Yoshu in too much danger like this." He looked towards Ryuyo who nodded and pulled a cellphone and made a call.

The two then left, leaving Taishiji bleeding and falling into unconsciousness.

* * *

**And that's chapter eight. I know it's criminally short but I felt the need to get at least something out, the next one will hopefully be longer. I hope the chapter turned out good in the end, so let me know what you guys think in a review.**


	9. Dragons and Schemes

Chapter IX

**Hello everybody! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but my inspiration has been nonexistent for this story but I've mostly gotten it back, so I hope this is a good chapter. Anyway I'm trying to progress the story forward while showing the other characters as well. Focusing on just one character tends to get pretty boring so it's fun to get a glimpse on other characters now and then. Also, I've increased the harem a bit and will be adding in new girls soon, so hopefully things will get a bit more amusing. I can't think of anything else aside from saying that updates will still be slower because I've got two other stories to focus on in addition to this. With that said, how about we get to reviewer responses?**

**Serfius: That's mostly true, but Naruto is mostly holding back because his full power could drive the Kanto region into serious debt, but you're right there really isn't anyone that can hurt him but he holds back most of the time because others could be put in danger or his life could get annoying if he makes his full power known. Hope that helps and I agree, an official list would be greatly appreciated.**

**kroz phantomville: True, but remember two things, he doesn't want to hurt people that badly and do you really think a story full of two second fight where he just owns everyone is that entertaining? If you do that's fine but most people get bored with a main character who has no real trouble to face, look at my previous response for an answer to that. As for chakra and jutsus, why wouldn't he give his allies an edge? Most of the toushi simply don't have enough chakra for jutsu but they can use chakra enhanced attacks.**

**NiwaTG: They will get much stronger. Though they're not going to get super strong, not at first at least.**

**SHONENJUMP Guy: Thank you, and you'll see, though I'm not sure how a fight between Naruto and Ukitsu would develop, her rival is pretty much Hakufu and Hakufu alone.**

**Exalted Demi-Soul: I suppose you'll see soon enough.**

**Challenger: He might, he might not.**

**Well I think that's it for this one. I noticed a lot of people seemed bored with the last chapter. That is mainly my fault. My memory of that section of the story is a little hazy and I was personally kind of bored writing it, but I had fun with this one so that hopefully translates into quality. Well, there's only one way to find out isn't there? ;)**

* * *

Naruto and the others had just arrived back at Koukin's house after the battle with Taishiji.

Naruto flopped down in the dining room and said with a sigh, "Well that was tiring."

"Really? You looked really cool out there," Hakufu commented happily.

Naruto smirked and said, "Maybe, but that was one of the most intense battles I've been in in a while. I didn't expect Taishiji to be that strong. Fortunately I finished it without any major injuries."

Myousai narrowed her eyes accusatorily and sat down next to him and whispered, "Why are you still downplaying how powerful you are?"

Naruto shrugged and responded equally as quiet, "No real reason. It'll just be a hassle if the other schools learn just how strong I am. While nobody they send after me could even touch me, the constant waves of assassins would quickly get annoying. That…and it would put the rest of you in danger. And while I am certain most toushi aren't a match for you the others won't be so lucky and sometimes being extremely powerful is useless in hostage situations."

Myousai sighed with a smirk and said quietly, "Of course, making things harder on yourself worrying about others. I suppose that's just the way you are though."

Naruto shrugged again and said, "Guess so."

"Hey! What are you guys whispering about!?" Hakufu accused in a loud pout, having stuck her face right up to Naruto's, confusing the blonde greatly.

Deciding to be his prankster self, he flicked her in the forehead for getting so close.

She shrunk back and rubbed her forehead and said with a pout, "Owww that hurt!"

Naruto smirked and said, "That's what you get for getting so close. As for our conversation, none of your business."

Hakufu puffed out her cheeks and said, "That's not fair."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Sorry, too bad." He then turned as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Koukin asked, "How did you do that? I've never seen anyone move that fast before."

Naruto sighed and said, "It's a result of my training. It's also a type of training none of you can do. Of course my other training method could get you close. And I'm thinking with these events things will get hectic and you guys will need to be stronger," he then turned to Hakufu and added, "and smarter."

Hakufu grumbled again and stuck out her tongue.

Goei finally entered the room with a tray of food and said happily, "So, did you guys enjoy your trip?"

Koukin sighed and said, "Aunt Goei, it wasn't a trip. We got involved with a battle against Yoshu."

Goei took a weak gasp and asked with exaggerated worry, "Oh my! Are you all okay?"

Koukin nodded and said, "Yes, I only got a few small scuffs and Uzumaki took care of the important part."

Goei nodded and looked at Naruto with a light blush and said, "I just love a man who protects his friends! And of course big arms don't hurt."

Everyone present face-faulted and Hakufu then shouted, "Mom! He's half your age?!"

Goei's eyes narrowed deviously before she had Hakufu over her knee and began to spank her, saying, "What was that you bad girl?"

Naruto simply sighed as their interplay commenced. He then turned to Myousai and said, "Come on Kou-chan, we need to head back."

Myousai simply nodded and followed along.

Goei paused her spanking and asked, "Aww, leaving already? If you had stayed a little longer, I could spank you too."

Naruto did his best to hide the increasing blue hue from his face as he said, "Heheh…I think I'll pass for now."

"Too bad," Goei said as she resumed her spanking if Hakufu.

With that, Naruto and Myousai made a hasty getaway.

* * *

The next morning Naruto awoke to a recognition that one of his arms felt heavier than normal. He attempted to move his right arm, and it moved just fine, his left however, wouldn't lift at all. Deciding to investigate why, he lifted the covers and a confused frown crossed his face.

Lying next to him on his bed snuggled around his arm was none other than Myousai.

Thinking back he attempted to piece together how this particular situation came about.

After several minutes fruitless labor he gave up and decided to wake her. He started with calling her name. Nothing. He tried lightly shaking her. Not a peep. Sighing in annoyance he tried one last ditch effort; kissing her forehead.

That got a reaction. She awoke slowly until she realized what he just did and blushed before asking timidly, "Why are we in bed together?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Good question. But…could you get off my arm?"

She nodded, her face calm but tinted deep red. She effortlessly moved off of him, allowing the blonde to stand and stretch out the kinks in his back.

After stretching he asked, "Want to get something for breakfast?"

* * *

She nodded and followed him down the stairs.

Naruto looked around and, not seeing Minato or Kushina, said, "Guess mom and dad are still asleep. Why don't we make some for them too?"

Myousai nodded happily and she and Naruto began preparing the meal.

* * *

About an hour later, the two parents walked out of their room, Kushina moving as if in a trance and Minato just following behind with a complacent smile at the smell filling their noses.

Looking into the kitchen, their jaws dropped at the impressive display of food with Naruto and Myousai eating contently.

Getting their attention, Minato let out a small whistle and said, "Wow, you guys make this yourselves?"

Both nodded but Naruto added, "Yup, but Myousai did all of the hard work."

Myousai reddened at the compliment and nodded slowly.

Kushina giggled happily and said, "Why thank you Myousai."

Myousai nodded evenly in response.

Minato thought amusedly, '_Well, it's obvious who she aims to impress._' He then asked, "You guys got school today?"

Naruto thought for a moment and then said, "Don't think so. It's a holiday, isn't Kou-chan?"

The ravenette nodded in response.

"Have any plans?" Kushina asked with a knowing grin.

Naruto caught her ploy and said, "Sorry to disappoint but nothing like that; just training."

Kushina frowned in defeat and then asked, "Training on a weekend?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. It's the best time since our other duties are so lax."

Kushina shrugged and said, "Whatever, just be back before dinner."

Naruto smiled and said with a nod, "Of course."

* * *

After that the two left the house and Naruto texted Koukin and the others about training.

* * *

Soon enough, the entire group of six was assembled in a small clearing just outside the forest. Naruto stood apart from the others and said seriously, "Due to the recent events with Yoshu and the nearing approach of the Big Fighters' Tournament I believe it is essential that everyone gets stronger and better for the battles to come. Despite the difficulty I'm sure you guys think this presents, I have a solution to get past it."

"And that would be?" Ryomou asked.

Naruto smirked and pulled several slips of paper from his jacket that had complex designs on them. "These are something I came up with myself. Their special restriction seals that cause your movements to become labored, thus requiring more force to simply move normally," Naruto said proudly.

A light seemed to click as Ryomou said, "Meaning we can get stronger without having to do insane training moves."

Naruto nodded with a smirk and said, "Yes. However, you guys aren't quite ready for these yet. There is a special training regimen I have that once you can complete almost effortlessly will you be given these."

"So what comes first?" Koukin asked.

"First you need to finish the leaf exercise," he said.

They all sighed knowing what he meant.

They moved to get leaves but he interrupted, "Actually, I've got special leaves that will make this a little easier." He reached into his pocket and in a hidden puff of smoke six leaves appeared in his hands, although they didn't see the smoke since he hid it.

He handed them the leaves and they decided to try again just like last time, placing the leaves on their foreheads and trying to get it to stick with chakra.

The results were much the same as before. Sighing, Naruto decided he needed to dial it back some. Putting his hand up, he said, "Why don't you guys stop for a moment, this doesn't seem to be getting you anywhere."

They all dropped their leaves and looked at him.

He nodded and said, "I've got an idea for your chakra control, unfortunately it's not as useful as this but it helps control your chakra flow." After seeing that they accepted he sat down and said, "Everyone else sit too in lotus position."

They each gave lightly confused expressions but did so regardless.

He then moved his hands slightly apart with the fingers pointed in but not touching.

He simply nodded and Koukin and the others mimicked his actions.

Satisfied with the formation of their hands he said, "Now, imagine energy that starts at your abdomen and forms in the center, then swirls out from there and flows to every part of your body before reversing and flowing back to the center and repeating that process many times over." After seeing that they had their chakra flow increased sufficiently he said, "Now imagine that energy flowing to your hands and then out into the space between them, swirling and collecting there." He watched as each of them, aside Myousai, struggled and concentrated to control the flow.

Soon enough they each had their chakra flowing to the spot. However they each different results.

Koukin's chakra flowed acceptably well, slightly less than half of the chakra he released collected in between his hands and swirled loosely.

Gakushu's flowed the best, the same amount as Koukin was collecting but it was swirling tighter than Koukin's chakra.

Hakufu's control was surprisingly good, she was flowing massive amounts of chakra with about a quarter of it collecting in the middle and swirling loosely; he had expected it to simply release wildly so he was pleasantly surprised.

To Naruto's surprise and concern, Ryomou's control was the worst. Subtly activating his ryugan, he discovered why. Something in her left eye, a mass of chakra, was destabilizing her chakra flow. It provided her massive amounts of chakra but disrupted the flow. He could also tell that there was a seal on the eye patch she wore that was keeping it under control, so he could only imagine what it would do to her if the patch was gone. Seeing this, he decided some investigation would be required. He walked over to Ryomou and tapped her shoulder.

Her concentration broke and she looked at him slightly annoyed but raised an eyebrow when he motioned to a separate area of the forest. She frowned in confusion but followed him regardless.

* * *

After getting a desirable distance from the rest, he leaned against a tree and said, "Your chakra control is awful."

She growled and asked, "Is that why you called me over here? To insult me?"

He shook his head and said, "No, it's not. There's a reason for your control to be so bad."

She narrowed her eye in confusion and asked, "And what would that be?"

Without a word he pointed to his left eye.

She snarled as she caught his meaning. "How did you know?"

"I can see the flow of chakra in a person's body, and I could tell that something to do with your eye is disrupting your chakra flow, making it harder for you to control your chakra," Naruto answered.

She sighed and said, "I assume you're curious about the origins?"

He shrugged and said, "Only if you're willing to tell me or if it could cause trouble down the line."

She nodded and said, "It's a dragon."

Naruto narrowed is eyes and asked his tenant, '_Well, do you sense one?_'

After a short paused Ryuujin said, **"**_**It's weak, but it's there. It seems like this dragon is a mutation.**_**"**

'_A mutation?_' Naruto asked.

"_**Yes, the chakra I'm sensing is most definitely the chakra of a tailed beast, but it's been altered. Something has modified the chakra from what it used to be. I'm assuming it's more fallout of my chakra like the world with…Melony was it?**_**"** Ryuujin asked with a slight tease.

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and simply responded, '_Whatever. That info helps._'

"_**Sure,**_**"** Ryuujin said with the vocal equivalent of a shrug.

Ryomou watched his facial expressions carefully before he spoke again.

"Is that dragon a threat?" he asked.

Ryomou shrugged with a sigh and said, "Not as long as this eye patch is working. But if the dragon's bloodlust gets too strong or the patch comes off it tries to take control."

Naruto folded his arms in thought and said, "I see. Why don't you tell me the story of how you got it? I might be able to figure out a way to deal with it."

She nodded and began to tell the story. "During the last Big Fighters' Tournament, a friend of mine named Tokubou Teifu was tricked by Toutaku into fighting Gentoku Ryuubi, the leader of Seito. He ended up awakening Ryuubi's own dragon and got severely injured. I was able to make my way there to help him, but he was already badly beaten. In the end I took out my rage on Ryuubi…but when I got her into a killing move her dragon somehow transferred a portion of itself into my eye. I've had someone helping me keep it under control with eye patches that have talismans on them. That's basically what happened," she said solemnly.

Naruto nodded and thought silently for several moments. He then said, "I understand. If you'll let me take a closer look I might be able to fix the problem entirely, or start on the path to doing so."

She frowned uncomfortably and nodded unsurely.

Naruto nodded as she removed her eye patch and exposed her left eye, which was grey rather than her right eye's green. He walked over and said, "I'm going to do something that's a little strange, so try not to freak."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and nodded.

Naruto then paused, his eyes began to shift as multiple red rings appeared. First two forming in his iris, one starting on the edge and moving in and one starting at the pupil and moving out; the rings met in the middle. Four more rings then formed from his iris and expand outwards. The three innermost rings then changed as each developed three tomoe.

Ryomou's eye widened slightly as she saw this. She then noticed that her left eye started to feel hot.

Naruto sighed and said, "It's just like I thought."

Ryomou clenched her eye shut from the pain and asked, "What…what is?"

"That eye is filled with foreign chakra. That I assumed from what you told me, but I thought something more specific and it was just proven," he answered as his eyes shifted back to normal.

"And what would that be?" she asked as the burning in her stopped.

"This is going to be hard to follow, so pay attention," he said seriously.

She nodded surely.

"There is a being called Ryuujin, the Ten-Tailed Dragon. It's a creature that's been lost to even legends now but it has massive amounts of power. Its power was fragmented a long time ago and then brought back together later. But when it was brought back to its full form its power shed off fragments. I'm not sure what happened since that point but I know the fragments were eventually discovered by someone and somehow became tied to the souls of the Three Kingdoms warriors. It seems that the mutated fragment inside this Gentoku Ryuubi managed to seal a piece of itself inside of you. I have a few ideas on how to deal with it, but I can't be certain without seeing the dragon for myself," he told her.

Ryomou held in a slight chill and said, "You're not thinking of going to Seito High School are you?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "It depends on how badly you want rid of that thing. I can say this however; just by examining your chakra flow, I can tell that dragon is having a negative effect on your network. It's even possible it could eventually tear your network apart and kill you if it isn't removed."

Ryomou frowned and asked, "Are you certain?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, none of this is truly certain. It's just as likely it could rework your network and replace your chakra with its own, and that has even more possible outcomes. It's only that it tearing you apart is the most likely. But to figure out anything to do about it I'd need to see the original dragon first hand."

Ryomou narrowed her eye and said, "If you do go, there's a toushi you need to look out for…"

"Kanu Unchou?" he asked.

She gave a slightly surprised look but then nodded.

He nodded back and said, "I've fought her before, so I have a rough idea of her skill set. Either way I'll be fine." He stood up and offered his hand, saying, "Let's head back to the others now."

She took his and stood with a nod.

* * *

They rejoined the others and Naruto noticed that they were still focused on condensing their chakra. He was surprised that Gakushu's chakra was becoming so concentrated that it was just barely visible as a faint light with the naked eye. Hakufu seemed to be getting better, she was still radiating most of it but what she was collecting began to swirl tighter. Koukin was doing well too. His chakra was starting to radiate barely any at all but was still swirling loosely.

He decided to end the session while having a little fun as well. He clapped his hands loudly twice.

Hakufu's chakra simply dispersed with no effects as she looked up at him; Koukin's rushed out like a burst and knocked off balance; Gakushu's actually exploded outwards powerfully enough to cause him to slide backwards. Naruto barely covered his chuckle.

Myousai brought a hand up to hide her smile while Ryomou lightly elbowed his side with a mild glare, he merely shrugged it off and said, "Well that's it for today, I've got some errands to run so why doesn't everyone disperse. Hakufu,"

The well-endowed nitwit spun quickly, causing a slight movement that Naruto resisted to urge to ogle.

Sighing he said, "I suggest you continue your training at home, you need some serious work."

She puffed out her cheeks and stamped off in a way he found oddly adorable.

He simply sighed with shrug and turned to Myousai and said, "Kou-chan, I've got a couple things to do before heading home, mind telling my parents?"

She shook her head and ran off towards the house.

Naruto turned towards the direction of Seito and said with a sigh, "This is really starting to get out of hand, I wonder how deep this goes."

With that he vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Inside a large cathedral with a large stained glass window two figures were conversing. One was a young woman in a wheelchair that had pink hair down to the middle of her back with dull grey eyes, wearing a dark grey shirt with a black ribbon and dark green pants. The other was a young man with short brown hair and light brown eyes wearing a red shirt with a white button-down over it with black pants.

The woman said, "This is bizarre. This toushi simply shows up out of nowhere and is suddenly annihilating other toushi who never once lost at these points in time. I can't even find a record of him in the Three Kingdoms."

The man simply lied on a pew and said with a chuckle, "Shibai, calm down. Whoever this is he can't defeat us."

Shibai turned and said in a growl, "Do you not remember when he defeated Kakouton? Not only did he defeat Kakouton, he defeated him utterly. Even Kakouton himself said he didn't stand a chance against that man. If we are going to take Kanto under the control of Kyosho he needs to be eliminated."

The man sighed and said as he sat up, "Right, right. I'll face him during the tournament and take him out."

Shibai nodded and said, "Do not fail, Sousou."

* * *

Naruto hopped along the rooftops as he neared Seito High School, it eventually coming in to view. He raised an eyebrow at how the school seemed quite different from Nanyo, since Nanyo looked like a modern school and Seito looked very old-fashioned in design. He decided to stop and perch atop a small building just west of the actual campus, flowing chakra to his eyes in order to get a better view of the structure. One of the first things he noticed was that it was an all-girls school, something that seemed rather common in his current dimension, and second was that the school had a dormitory, meaning the students took up residence at the school. He sighed internally as this meant finding Ryuubi would be that much easier since it was likely she'd still be there, since she was the school's leader and as such needed to be involved with all of the school's functions and actions.

Sighing he flashed several hand signs. His body began to shimmer before vanishing. Now invisible he said to himself, "Well, time to go. Hopefully I can find this Ryuubi before my jutsu fails." After saying that he leapt to the premises of Seito High.

* * *

Inside the school, a loud shriek was heard as a girl with short brown hair and red-brown eyes wearing the Seito uniform of a white sailor shirt with a blue collar and cuffs that were up at her biceps with a yellow ribbon and a blue miniskirt came stomping out of one of the buildings with a brown book in her hand.

Almost immediately another girl with long red hair that split in two with large yellow beads near the ends, green eyes with round frameless glasses wearing the Seito uniform came running out frantically crying out, "Chouhiiii, give me back that book!"

Chouhi turned around holding the book and said scolding, "You'll get it back, Gentoku, when you finish your training! Besides, you've already read this one a thousand times! How about instead of reading about ninjas you train to be one?"

Gentoku pouted and said, "But Tale of a Gutsy Ninja is my favorite, I love reading it! Besides that…training isn't any fun. I always end up getting too tired and sweaty to read."

Chouhi sighed and put a hand on her hip while pointing the book at her and said, "You're supposed to be Gentoku Ryuubi, Seito's leader. But you'll never accomplish that if you spend all of your time sitting on your butt reading."

Ryuubi grumbled and said, "But all I wanna do is read!"

Chouhi scratched her head furiously and screeched, "You're driving me crazy!"

"What's going on now?" a calm voice asked.

The two girls turned to see Kanu walking towards them. Ryuubi immediately dove and wrapped her arms around one of Kanu's legs and pleaded, "Oh Kanu…please, tell Chouhi how important my reading is!"

Chouhi growled and said, "You don't have time for this much reading!"

Ryuubi turned to Kanu with a pleading look. Kanu looked down at her with wavering conviction before she sighed and said, "Gentoku, you need to work on your training. There are people out there who would want to attack you or even kill you because you are recognized as Seito's leader. Ekitoku and I won't always be around to protect you, so you need to learn to defend yourself."

Chouhi and Kanu both hoped this would work, but Ryuubi's expression showed their attempts were futile. The two simply sighed in defeat.

* * *

Above the group on Seito's rooftop, Naruto, who was still invisible, was busy face-faulting. He then stood up and thought, '_This must be a joke. That flimsy bookworm is Gentoku Ryuubi? The one whose dragon infected Ryomou? This is just stupid._'

"_**Stupid or not, I can sense my chakra inside of her. Although it's still that mutated form,**_**"** Ryuujin said.

Naruto sighed and replied, '_If you say so. Well, any ideas how to wake it up?_'

After a moment of silence Ryuujin answered, **"**_**Nothing concrete but Kurama used to be able to take control of you when you were angry, and I can tell this chakra form has his same malicious intent.**_**"**

Naruto nodded and answered, '_How about the hyper one? She seems rather friendly with her._'

"**That's**_** friendly? You humans are strange.**_**"**

Naruto simply chuckled and nodded. He stopped however when he noticed Kanu looking at him. He said to Ryuujin, '_Uh-oh._'

"_**I don't think you get a choice,**_**"** Ryuujin said teasingly.

* * *

Down on the ground, both Ryuubi and Chouhi noticed Kanu's diverted attention.

Ryuubi looked to where she was looking, back to Kanu and then back to the spot and asked, "Kanu…what's wrong?"

Without diverting her attention back Kanu said, "Ekitoku, take Gentoku into the school."

Without asking any other questions Chouhi nodded and peeled the redhead off of Kanu and dragged her into the school screeching.

Kanu took the cloth off of her blade and said, "I know you're there, come down."

Naruto hopped down and deactivated his invisibility jutsu.

Kanu narrowed her eyes and said, "You…you're…"

Naruto smirked and said, "Naruto Uzumaki."

Kanu prepared to speak but a loud squeal interrupted her. They both sweat-dropped and turned to the school to see Ryuubi standing on the edge with her balled fists near her face with stars in her eyes.

Ryuubi then said gleefully, "That name, that headband, that outfit, you're the gutsy ninja brought to life aren't you!?"

Kanu sighed and Naruto face-faulted and shouted annoyed, "What the hell kind of logic is that!?"

Seemingly ignoring him, Ryuubi somehow teleported in front of him and examined him head to foot and said, "You look just like I'd imagined!"

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and thought, '_There is no way this is actually Gentoku Ryuubi. This has to be a joke._'

A cough caught both of their attentions. They both turned to see Kanu with a mildly annoyed expression. She then said, "Gentoku, have you forgotten that he's an enemy?"

Ryuubi frowned and said, "But he has the same name as the Gutsy Ninja, there's no way he can be bad."

'_Gutsy Ninja? How does she know about that?_' he asked.

"_**Didn't you start selling it while you were in China?**_**"** Ryuujin responded.

'_Oh, forgot about that,_' Naruto said.

Ryuujin just sighed.

Kanu also sighed and said, "Be that as it may, he's still from Nanyo, and is therefore an enemy."

Ryuubi frowned, turned to Naruto and asked, "That's not true, is it?"

Naruto pushed her away nicely and said, "I came here because of your dragon, I've got a friend who was affected by it and I need to study its energy."

Ryuubi thought for a moment and then her head poured steam and she said, "~What~ I don't get it…"

Kanu narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her blade and said, "You don't need to, I know what he needs. And you can't have it. Activating her dragon could injure her. So unless you leave peacefully I will fight you to protect Gentoku."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and asked, "So, the dragons are harmful to the body?"

Kanu froze in confusion and asked, "Wait, you didn't know about that?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Correct, I knew the dragons had a mutative effect on the body in a minor sense, but I wasn't aware of them causing enough harm when awakened to be dangerous. If you will understand, I came here to merely study her dragon's energy, which I believe I can do when it is slumbering. I had no desire to harm her, or anyone."

Kanu frowned in confusion and distrust and asked, "You're doing this to save a friend, correct?"

Naruto nodded.

"And you swear you won't do anything to hurt her?"

He nodded again.

Kanu closed her eyes in thought and then said, "Very well. If your…inspection won't do any harm to her, of any kind, then I will permit it. After all, with Rakuyo growing as strong as it has, an alliance between our schools may be possible or advantageous."

"WHAT!?"

They all turned to see Chouhi standing nearby with a shocked expression.

Kanu nodded and said, "Yes, Rakuyo's power could even be enough to overwhelm us. Plus any discoveries he makes may allow us to help Gentoku."

Chouhi grumbled but said with a nod, "Fine, but if he tries anything funny I'm going to chop his head off."

Naruto smirked and said, "Fine by me, I swear I won't do anything harmful." He motioned for Ryuubi to stand straight, which she did for her 'Gutsy Ninja' without question.

Both Kanu and Chouhi sat down to observe and Chouhi asked, "Why'd you even consider allowing him to do this?"

Kanu thought for a moment and then said, "I remember fighting him before, he has an honest spirit. I believe what he tells us is the truth. I also heard what he did to Kyosho's Kakouton and Yoshu's Taishiji, so I'm certain that even if we had resisted we would have had little ability to stop him for long."

Chouhi went blue and asked, "I-is he really that strong?"

Kanu nodded and said, "Yes he is. I remember fighting him a while ago and he was unbelievably strong then, I would imagine he's even stronger now."

Chouhi swallowed uncomfortably as he watched Naruto and Ryuubi and said, "To believe there's someone so strong that even Kanu the Invincible is weary of him."

* * *

Naruto placed his hand over Ryuubi's stomach and said, "Try to stay calm, you may feel a twinge of pain."

She nodded worried but tried to remain calm.

Naruto closed his eyes and started to flow chakra into her coils, and he immediately found the slumbering dragon, and its chakra. '_I found the dragon. Think you can do a little investigating of your own?_'

* * *

Inside his dimension, Ryuujin nodded and saw an image of the large yellow dragon, coiled around in a ball. He examined its chakra and said, **"I see it. It's certainly made of my chakra. It's an extremely miniscule amount, even less than that crazy Shukaku. But there's something different about it."**

* * *

Naruto nodded as well and answered, '_I can see that. I'm trying to investigate its chakra and discover what that mutation is._' After a few moments his brows furrowed and he said, '_Wait a minute, this altered chakra, whatever it is is causing it to be malevolent and bloodthirsty. I've got an idea what this chakra is…wait, this is. It can't be…_'

"_**It is. The chakra that is made when someone is under the genjutsu of the mangekyo sharingan,**_**"** Ryuujin said seriously.

Naruto opened his eyes and pulled his hand away, saying to Ryuujin, '_Any ideas?_'

"_**I have one idea. If you could stir the dragon's chakra enough, the genjutsu could break. The only problem with that is that we don't know if the genjutsu is keeping it in a dormant state or if it is only making it violent when it is awakened,**_**"** Ryuujin said.

Naruto nodded and answered, '_That could be a problem. Stirring its chakra would require waking it._' Naruto then said to Ryuubi, "Thank you, I've been able to find out a way to deal with my friend's problem."

Ryuubi blushed at his expression and said, "S-sure, glad I could help."

Kanu and Chouhi walked over and Kanu asked, "So, are you finished?"

He nodded and said, "Yes, sorry for intruding. However, I would like to extend an offer of aid if you guys are ever in trouble."

Kanu nodded and said, "That would be acceptable. I would also like to ask another favor."

Naruto shrugged.

"If you find a way to rid this friend of their dragon, do you think you could cure Gentoku of hers?" she asked.

Naruto smiled and said, "If I am successful I'd be pleased to help. Anyway, I should probably get going." He then turned to Ryuubi and grinned, then vanished in a burst of smoke.

Ryuubi gasped and said, "Ah! He really _is _a ninja!"

Kanu and Chouhi sighed amusedly.

* * *

Naruto returned home and saw something in the mailbox. He looked at it and noticed there was no postmark, it simply said, "From a friend." He opened the envelope and inside was a USB drive.

Nodding he went to his room and inserted it into his computer and began perusing the files. He was surprised to see it was a listing of all of Rakuyo's toushi and their ranks and main attributes, including Toutaku.

He looked over Toutaku's file and noticed it said he had never once suffered a major injury. He found this odd because of the fact that Toutaku was covered in bandages. He tried to find any specific information about Toutaku's battles. He was able to discover that Toutaku never left a survivor in the battles he had, even during the last tournament. His eyes narrowed when he noticed a video attached to Toutaku's files. He opened it and watched one of Toutaku's battles, specifically the fight against the previous leader of Rakuyo. He watched as Toutaku entered the large green house, with two guards charging him. He watched as something shot from Toutaku's raised arm and struck the attackers, killing them before retracting. He then witnessed Toutaku shoot a blue light from his mouth that severed the leader's head.

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, well Ryofu. You can't imagine how vital this information is. Though I am curious how Toutaku managed to get or find someone with a sharingan. This whole situation is insane. And it looks like things will only get worse. I think it's time that something new comes to the field to deal with Toutaku." As he continued viewing the files, he held an old beaten headband with the kanji for shinobi on it.

* * *

At Rakuyo High School, Ryofu sat in her personal house with Saji lying on the futon. She looked at him annoyed and then sighed before hearing a knock. She walked over slowly and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's Chinkyu."

Ryofu sighed and opened the door for her to enter.

Chinkyu looked to the right and asked, "So, how is he?"

Ryofu sighed and said, "Fortunately he's still asleep. But it seems his natural hair color is coming out, so if he gets out Toutaku will recognize him."

They both turned and saw Saji lying down, his brown hair turned dark blonde.

Chinkyu nodded and asked, "How about Naruto?"

Ryofu smiled and said, "I just sent the most recent data this morning. I think I might also get a break from Toutaku long enough to see him tomorrow. Want to come? He hasn't seen you yet."

Chinkyu nodded and said, "Sure. What about Oui-"

"NO! Don't say that name here!" Ryofu interrupted.

Chinkyu covered her mouth and nodded before saying, "Sorry. It's just weird."

Ryofu nodded and turned around before saying, "Why don't you go home, I've got to start gathering more intel."

Chinkyu nodded and left.

Unbeknownst to them, Saji smirked lightly.

* * *

The next morning, Ryofu woke up early enough that the sun was still low in the sky. She then picked up her phone and looked at it with a worried expression. She then gave a resolute nod and dialed a number.

* * *

At his house, Naruto's cellphone began to ring and he drowsily flopped his hand around until he grabbed and answered, asking sleepily, "Hello?"

"Naruto?"

Naruto immediately sat up and said in surprise, "Ryofu?! I thought it was dangerous for you to call me."

"It is, but I wanted to see you, Toutaku's delusions are getting worse and both Chinkyu and I wanted to meet," she said.

Naruto dropped into a sad smile and asked, "So, she's remembered too?"

"Yup, she's helping me gather that data for you. Actually, how good was that last file?" Ryofu asked, her voice falling into complacent happiness.

Naruto nodded and said, "It was great help. I've got a few ideas about Toutaku now too. Thanks for all your help, I'm sure it's not easy."

* * *

Ryofu nodded and answered, "It's worth it, even if only to take down Toutaku. So, do you think we could meet sometime?"

"Yeah, that would work. How about today, maybe four at that same restaurant?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, I'll tell Chinkyu," Ryofu responded.

"Good, how's she doing exactly?" he asked.

Ryofu sighed and said, "Okay, she has occasional lapses into her altered state but they're becoming less and less frequent."

Naruto gave a big yawn and said, "That's good to hear, hopefully she's fully recovered soon. I'll see if I can't do anything later."

Ryofu nodded and said, "Thanks, I'll see you then," then hung up. With that she put the phone down and then heard a knock at the front door. She narrowed her eyes and walked over to the door.

When she got there she asked, "Who is it?"

"Bunwa Kaku, open up."

Ryofu snarled and walked outside, a smirk on her face. She then asked, "So, what are you here for?"

Kaku adjusted her glasses and said, "I'm here because I've noticed some odd activities lately, specifically how despite being one of Lord Toutaku's personal guards you're hardly around anymore."

Ryofu grit her teeth and said with a smirk, "Well, just because I'm his guard doesn't mean I'm not my own person."

Kaku narrowed her eyes and said, "Actually, it does. Becoming Lord Toutaku's personal guard means you live for him. So it's time to see him and report your recent activities. Also, you will be accompanying Lord Toutaku into the city today."

Ryofu snarled and said angrily, "Understood."

Kaku simply smirked and said, "Good." She then turned and left, her group of guards following.

Ryofu turned back into her house and punched a wall and growled. She then returned to her room and pulled out her phone and made a call.

* * *

Later that day at another school, a group of students arrived at the front, all wearing the male Rakuyo uniforms. They walked up to the front and several of the students noticed them.

One, a male with short scraggly blue hair turned and asked, "What the hell do you want here, Rakuyo scum?"

The leader of the group of students, a teen with short, spiky black hair and a tattoo on his left cheek, walked up and said, "We're here because Lord Toutaku wants this school, so we're here to take it."

The other student looked at him incredulously before laughing hysterically.

The tattooed teen looked confused and then asked, "What the hell's so funny?"

The other teen wiped his eyes and said, "You seriously want to fight us? You guys are either stupid or suicidal."

The Rakuyo student glared and asked shaking in anger, "What, you think you're that tough?"

The other student chuckled and said, "Not us, even if you manage to get through every one of us our leaders will trash you."

Another Rakuyo student asked, "Leaders? More than one?"

The other student laughed again and said, "You came here without knowing how our school's set up? You really are stupid!"

"Got that right!" a rough female voice shouted. Everyone turned and two women joined the group. The first was a woman with dark skin with shoulder length, dark red hair, devious blue eyes, wearing a yellow police cap with leopard print, a black brim and goggles along with a black, thin bathing suit that exposed most of her sizable breasts with a yellow vest, multiple bracelets on each wrist, loose yellow shorts with a leopard print and short yellow boots with the leopard print and had a red tattoo on her left shoulder.

The other had fair skin, short ice-blue hair with dull one dull-grey eye, the other covered by a black eye patch with a pinwheel design on it. She wore a black lacy bra with a ragged white long coat, a pair of very short black shorts with mid-calf length boots and a tattoo of a flower on her right side along with a sword in her right hand.

The Rakuyo students raised their eyebrows as the two walked forward.

The redhead asked, "So, what are a bunch of Rakuyo punks doing here?"

The other student said, "They think they're here to defeat us."

The dark-skinned girl laughed and said, "You gotta be kidding me! The only thing they're going to do is get pounded into the dirt, dumbass."

The girl with the sword said, "Watch yourself Moukaku, don't get carried away."

Moukaku chuckled and said, "Come on Mouyu, you never let me have any fun."

The Rakuyo student chuckled and said, "If you give up I'll make sure you get a nice pounding."

Moukaku spat and said, "Please, your tiny dick couldn't even make a dent, dumbass."

That got him. The student from Rakuyo pointed and shouted, "Kill those bitches!"

The mob charged forward and in response, Moukaku pulled out a modified chakram with spikes on it and Mouyu unsheathed her sword.

Moukaku attacked first, tossing her chakram at the Rakuyo students. One was hit in the head, the spinning spike-disc slicing clean through, killing him. Another student was sliced across the chest, spraying blood and ending up dead. The ring then returned to Moukaku who used it to slash through another would be attacker's back before slamming the spikes into another's head.

Mouyu used her sword to cleave two attackers like curtains before stabbing another through the torso. In one swift motion she pulled the sword from the man, slashed the torso of another and the neck of one other before bringing it to a resting position.

The leader of the Rakuyo attackers plus a few others who witnessed the massacre paled. The leader of the group turned and shouted, "Damn Kaku! She didn't tell us about this, let's get out of here!" The other students followed him in his retreat.

Moukaku removed her chakram from the chest of another victim and taunted, "Come back real soon, dumbass!"

Mouyu sighed and sheathed her sword then said, "Well, that got nasty fast."

Moukaku laughed and said, "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Mouyu simply sighed and said, "Now we need someone to clean up the bodies." She looked to her side and Moukaku was simply gone. Mouyu twitched an eyebrow.

* * *

The attacking group returned to Rakuyo to see Kaku waiting at the gate.

She looked over and realized the group was much smaller than before. She looked at the leader and asked angrily, "What the hell happened to everyone else Rikaku?"

Rikaku snarled out, "What the hell was with your intel Kaku?! You never mentioned the school had two leaders, or that they'd be that strong! Not only that, we've never even heard of that school, did Lord Toutaku really order this attack?"

Kaku scoffed and said, "Of course he did! He asked me to take that school because it would give him their powerful leaders under his control."

Rikaku's eyes widened and he shouted, "What!? You knew their leaders were powerful and yet you didn't tell us!?"

Kaku turned to report to Toutaku and said, "Correct. I had figured you lot would be powerful enough to defeat them. Obviously I was wrong."

Rikaku simply shook his fist angrily before slamming the wall and leaving, the others following suit.

* * *

Kaku walked by Ryofu's cabin with an annoyed expression and Ryofu, who was standing nearby with her arms folded and wearing a confident smirk asked, "So, your little secret plan didn't work out huh?"

Kaku responded, "Tch, don't worry about what I do. I was simply trying to acquire new territory for our Lord, at least I was actually trying to be productive."

Ryofu simply chuckled and said, "I'm sure _Lord_ Toutaku will understand."

Kaku merely glared before moving on.

* * *

Kaku stood outside Toutaku's most frequented room and gulped before knocking and entering.

As per usual Toutaku was lying amongst his personal guard of female toushi, his head resting comfortably on the lap of one. He glanced over to Kaku as she entered and asked in amusement, "Have fun?"

Kaku froze and thought, '_No, he couldn't have discovered my plans. This could be bad. What if he removes me from my post as tactician?_'

Toutaku stood up and said the other girls, "Why don't the rest of you leave, I need to speak to Kaku."

The group nodded and left, leaving only Toutaku and a worried Kaku.

Toutaku sat down on a bench and motioned Kaku to do the same, saying, "Come Kaku, sit. We need to speak."

Kaku nodded weakly and sat down. Toutaku then touched her shoulder, causing her to flinch.

Toutaku chuckled and asked, "What's wrong Kaku? Are you afraid of me?"

Kaku shivered and said, "N-no, of course not my lord."

Toutaku then asked, "Did you truly believe I wouldn't know about your little scheme?"

Kaku looked at him pleadingly and said, "Please my lord, I only did it so you would have powerful toushi to command."

Toutaku frowned and asked, "Did you not think I already did?"

Kaku attempted to respond but only floundered.

Toutaku then added, "First, you go behind my back in a school takeover, taking many of my most powerful toushi in an attack I didn't sanction, on a school I hold no interest in; then to top it all off you failed in this attack. Had you succeeded I may have been more lenient with you, but having not only gone behind my back but to have failed as well," Toutaku sighed and added, "I would be in the right mind to kill you, or worse send you out from Rakuyo."

Kaku began trembling violently as Toutaku stood up and raised his left arm towards her. She jumped to her knees as the bandages on his arms began to quiver and begged for her life, "Please Lord Toutaku! I'm begging you, spare me!"

Toutaku chuckled as what he had under his arms calmed down. He then said, "However…you are simply too valuable. Your failings are far overshadowed by your successes. What's more, I was thinking of replacing many of those toushi, so you simply made it so I needn't reassign them. For these circumstances I shall allow you to remain. But remember, my patience only extends so far."

Kaku's face lit up and she bowed in thanks.

Toutaku's face contorted in a demented grin as she showered him with gratitude.

* * *

Naruto sat in his room at his house reading his phone messages with a sigh. The message read, "Sorry, Toutaku is growing suspicious so he has requested I remain by his side for the next few days. So the meeting's off." He growled and thought, '_Great, I was hoping to try and finish up Chinkyu's freedom from that genjutsu._'

"_**I wouldn't get so glum. You're not going let a human get you down in the dumps are you? You've met many women throughout the past two millennia, so why let these two be such a problem?**_**"** Ryuujin asked.

'_And of course you don't understand. I don't just become a hollow shell over time. I care about each friend I make, regardless of how long I've lived,_' Naruto responded.

Ryuujin gave a vocal shrug and said, **"**_**Whatever, I can understand how normal humans can get so attached to the others they meet over time. Their lives are ephemerally short, most don't make it to a hundred so they need to find as many close friends as they can. But you, you've outlived even the oldest humans by a factor of twenty, so how is it possible to become so attached to creatures that live so much less than you?**_**"**

Naruto sighed and said, '_We've been over this a thousand times already. I may not be a normal human now, but I was once. I know full well the fragility of life. I can't simply go around detaching myself from people because it would hurt to lose them. If I did that I'd have lost focus on what we're doing. It's because I care about others that I am able to passionately do this duty and not simply give up and not care about it._'

Ryuujin chuckled and said, **"**_**Even after nearly two thousand years you're still as amusing as ever. I would imagine this job would be worth its weight in the pure entertainment value of watching how bizarre these adventures get.**_**"**

Naruto laughed and replied, '_Well unlike you I don't get amusement out of watching people toy with others and make them suffer._'

"_**Right, right human goodness and bleeding heart right?**_**"** Ryuujin teased.

Naruto laughed and said, '_Something like that._'

Naruto then heard a knock at the door and hollered, "Come in!"

In walked Minato, with his usual smile on his face. He walked over and asked, "I was meaning to ask, how was your and Myousai's little date?"

Naruto shrugged and said plainly, "It went okay."

Minato sat down and said, "Well that's no good, it's not a real date unless it's great. Want some suggestions?"

Naruto sweat-dropped and thought, '_Yeah right. I'm the one that should be giving you advice. I've been on more dates than you could possibly imagine._' Instead of that he said, "Nah, I'm good. It was only my first remember, got to get the kinks out first."

Minato chuckled and said, "I see. Well Casanova, talk to me whenever you want some help." He laughed and said, "Though I suppose the best advice would come from your mother!"

Naruto laughed as well and said, "Yeah, I guess."

Minato shrugged and said, "Well, I know you're busy so I'll stop bugging you."

Naruto nodded and the door shut. He then sighed and said to himself, "Well, I suppose I've got another training day tomorrow. Hopefully I can deal with Ryomou's dragon." With that he laid down and went to sleep.

* * *

The next day Naruto arrived at school and saw Koukin and Hakufu looking a text message with solemn expressions. Curious he walked over and asked, "What's up?"

Hakufu snatched the phone and gave it Naruto and said hurriedly, "Here! Look at what it says!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and read the message. His eyes narrowed angrily when he did. A region wide text message had been sent, saying that Shigi Taishiji had been hospitalized for major wounds.

Looking at him, Hakufu asked, "Did you do anything bad enough to hurt him like that?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, I gave him a few injuries and sent him to the benches for a few days, but nothing that would land him in the hospital."

"Do you think we should check on him?" Hakufu asked.

Naruto looked at her incredulously and knocked her lightly on the head and asked, "Why would you do that?"

Hakufu answered, "Because, he may have been an enemy but he was a strong fighter. If he's this badly injured we should check on him."

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and thought, '_That's some weird logic._' He sighed and said, "You really want to?"

Hakufu nodded slowly.

Naruto scratched his head in annoyance and said, "Alright. After school we'll go check on him. But nothing more."

Hakufu lit up and hugged him tightly, unintentionally smashing her chest into him.

Naruto twitched and thought, '_I might be two thousand years old but my damn hormones are still perfectly active._' To prevent himself from doing anything stupid he pushed her off and said, "Okay, I think that's enough!"

Hakufu laughed and said, "Thanks Naruto! Hey, do you think we'll do more training after we go to the hospital?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Of course."

Hakufu cheered and moved to wrap him in another hug, which he resisted by placing a hand on her head.

"You seem to be getting along well."

All three turned and saw Ryomou join them, with an uncharacteristic smile on her face.

Even Naruto noticed this but Hakufu beat him to speaking, "Ryomou! What are you doing here?"

Ryomou nodded and said, "I decided I'd try going to class for once. It's the easiest way to get to Naru-er the training on time."

Only Naruto seemed to notice her slip but made nothing of it and said, "Well, training won't begin on time today. Sonsaku wants to go check on Taishiji in the hospital."

Ryomou frowned momentarily and asked, "Why're you doing that?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Sonsaku wants to. Plus I figure it wouldn't hurt, I did kind of humiliate the guy."

Ryomou chuckled and said, "I see. Well, did you find anything on that _issue_?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, I got a few ideas that might help. But it will need to wait until the training period starts."

Ryomou nodded and said, "That's good. Actually, I need to head to the hospital myself, mind if I come along the way?"

Hakufu lit up and Naruto said with a nod and said, "Sure that would actually be nice."

Hakufu enveloped Ryomou and shrieked, "Yay! This'll be fun!"

Both Naruto and Koukin sighed in amusement, while Myousai seemed to gained an annoyed expression.

* * *

**And that's chapter nine. I know there wasn't a lot of action in this one but I hope it's good. I want to know what you guys think of the introductions of characters and events. I also want to know something I haven't asked for yet, harem suggestions. I've got a pretty acceptable harem now but I've decided I want it to be a little bit bigger than it is now; thus suggestions. Until then, buh-bye.**


	10. Dusk and Conspiracies

Chapter X

**Hey everybody it's time for the newest chapter. Hope the wait wasn't too bad. Time for reviewer responses I suppose.**

**Exalted Demi-Soul: Let's see if this is the next step you expected.**

**Huh, no other reviews that needed responses. That's disappointing. Well, anyway I suppose you guys aren't here for the reviewer responses anyway.**

* * *

Naruto, Ryomou, Hakufu and Myousai were approaching a large white hospital, preparing to check on one Shigi Taishiji. Of course Naruto could do little more than sweat drop as Hakufu had thought to buy a teddy bear and flowers for Taishiji. Sighing he said, "So, shall we?"

Hakufu nodded and walked into the hospital with the others in tow.

* * *

As they reached the front desk Ryomou said, "Well, this is where I take my leave." She waved as she left, leaving the others at the front.

As they approached the attendant asked, "Who are you here to see?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Shigi Taishiji."

She typed on her keyboard and said, "Are you family or friends to him?"

Naruto scratched his cheek in thought and then said, "Acquaintances more like."

The woman nodded and said, "I see. Well you can go up and see him but-"

The woman didn't get a chance to finish as Hakufu cheered and ran off.

Naruto sighed and said, "I'll deal with her, what room is he in?"

She gave him a piece of paper and gave him one last piece of information.

* * *

As they approached the room, Naruto took notice of the two toushi acting as guards and got ready for a fight.

The two guards looked up and instantly took notice of Naruto and became agitated. The got into a fighting stance and asked in agitation, "What the hell do you want!?"

Naruto put up a hand and said, "We're not here to fight. We only came to see Taishiji."

One of the students, a teen with short brown hair and green eyes shouted, "Why the hell would he want to see you!? You're the reason he's like this!"

Myousai wasn't going to allow them to insult Naruto. She prepared to attack, but a hand from Naruto stopped her.

Naruto gave her a curt shake of the head and then addressed the two students guarding the incapacitated toushi, "I'm aware of my involvement in what happened to him. It's because I defeated him so soundly that they did this to him. However it was also his fault for challenging me, he could have easily called the attack off, since he had to be aware victory was a low possibility."

The other student who had wild black hair and brown eyes raised his fist and was about to shout when Naruto continued.

"However…I never wanted something like this to happen. If I had known this would happen I may have handled it differently, I find dissent among allies disgusting. And the fact that the leader of Yoshuu would do something like this is abhorrent."

The brown haired teen froze and asked, "Wait…how'd you know it was Ryuuyo?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "It wasn't that hard to figure out. He had failed to defeat Sonsaku by being defeated by me. As it was an order from Rakuyo's leader, who currently has control over your school, failure isn't tolerated so he was dealt with. It isn't that hard to figure out."

The other teen nodded and said, "Yes, it Ryuuyo who attacked Taishiji, and also kicked out everyone who supported him. That's why we're here."

Naruto nodded and said, "Not to keep out attackers from other schools, but from Yoshu."

The raven-haired teen nodded.

Hakufu growled and said, "That's awful! All that because he lost a fight!?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Sonsaku, getting angry won't solve anything."

She pouted and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. But, can we at least go see him?"

The brown haired teen shrugged and said, "Sure. But don't expect much. He's been in a medically induced coma for a couple days now due to the injuries to his spine. The doctors said that if he even ever wakes up that fighting will be impossible."

Naruto nodded and said, "Right. We'll be brief."

The teen nodded and opened the door.

The three walked in and were taken aback. Lying on the bed unconscious and hooked up to a multitude of different wires and tubes was the once great Shigi Taishiji.

Hakufu trembled in anger while Myousai remained silent. Naruto sighed heavily and said, "This is insane. I hadn't intended for Taishiji's death. That man is a true monster. I suppose, I'll have even more reason to kill him."

"If you mean Toutaku I hope you trash that bastard. Yoshu wasn't exactly perfect before he showed up but we were comfortable. Then this bastard stomps in and everything goes downhill. Ryuuyo loses his mind and starts basically worshipping Toutaku and gives out insane orders that are more like the orders of a Yakuza boss instead of a school leader. And now this, effectively killing his most skilled and most loyal toushi," the brunette said angrily as he overlooked the still form of the man he followed to the letter even beyond Ryuuyo.

Naruto bit his lip and then said, "There might be a way to save Taishiji."

The brunette turned and pleaded, "What is it!? We'll do anything, even if it means we die we'll do it to save Taishiji!"

Naruto scratched his head and said, "No, nobody needs to die for it to work, but it's not something I'm particularly good at so in the worst case scenario I'll just kill him faster."

The brunette grabbed Naruto's shoulder and said while pointing to Taishiji, "You really think he wants to live like a cripple? If there's even a remote chance he can go back to normal and a high chance he'll die, it's better than living in a prison."

Naruto was impressed by the teen's devotion and nodded surely. He then said, "What you're about to see is something that is likely considered impossible, but I'll do my best to make it happen."

Both of the teens nodded and said, "Do it."

Slowly, he went through two hand signs, ushi, tora. Then stuck out his right hand as it was enveloped in a soft green light. He passed his hand over Taishiji's body, starting at his head and moving to his feet. '_The damage is extensive. His spinal cord is severed just above the waist and his intestines received severe damage. Due to clotting and blood loss his extremities are experiencing progressively slow cell death. However, I should be able to fix it all._' Nodding, he placed his hand over Taishiji's midsection and the light intensified and a low humming sound was heard. Unseen to the others but quite visible to Naruto, Taishiji's spinal cord was being reassembled, partly through medical ninjutsu, and partly through the fact that Naruto was utilizing Ryuujin's chakra which, in proper doses has a regenerative effect on the body. Slowly over a long period of many minutes, Taishiji's body was repaired. After finishing, Naruto sighed and pulled his hand away saying, "Well, I've done what I can, all we can do now is wait."

After a few moments Taishiji's right hand twitched and the two Yoshu students hopped up. Then Taishiji's arm gave a light twitch before Taishiji himself let out a soft moan and slowly cracked his eyes opened. After blinking to adjust to the light he looked around and then saw the Yoshu students. "Satoshi, Renji, what are you two doing here?" Taishiji asked groggily.

The brunette, Satoshi, said, "We've been here at the hospital to make sure Ryuuyo doesn't send anyone else after you."

Taishiji's eyes widened and he asked, "You've been here…the whole time?"

Renji nodded and said, "Yup, and we've made sure to send any would be assailants packing."

Taishiji nodded and asked, "Who's the doctor that fixed me up?"

Satoshi chuckled and said, "Funny thing…it wasn't a doctor that patched you up."

Taishiji's eyes narrowed and he asked, "It wasn't?"

"No, it was me."

Taishiji looked to the source of the voice and his eyes nearly fell out of his head. Standing at the foot of the bed, proclaiming to be the source of his healing, was Naruto Uzumaki, the same person he lost to. He raised an eyebrow and asked the blonde, "Why? Why did you save me? I attacked you and Sonsaku and injured Shuyu. So you have no reason to help me."

Naruto shrugged and said, "You don't always need a reason to help someone."

Taishiji chuckled and said, "You're a strange one. First you're beating the crap out of me in a one on one brawl and then you're saving my life for something my own school did to me."

Naruto smirked and said, "Funny how life works out like that, huh?"

Taishiji, with many groans, sat up and put his feet over the edge, astonished he could still use them and asked, "You even saved my legs."

Naruto simply nodded.

Taishiji looked at the blonde suspiciously and asked, "Is there something you want?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, there isn't. After this you can do as you like. Go back to Yoshu or strike out on your own. If we do become enemies again I'll stop you again but I won't hold it against you. I gave you your life back so do with it as you please."

Taishiji's eyes were the size of dinner plates in pure amazement. He had assaulted this man's friends, threatened one and even willingly worked under someone who is openly gunning for his school's complete annihilation. Beyond that Naruto saved his life and isn't asking for anything in return. Taishiji couldn't take it. He got up out of his bed, a task that was quite difficult but worth doing in his mind, walked over in front of Naruto, standing between him and the door, and then knelt in front of him.

Naruto was understandably confused and asked, "Uhmm, what are you doing?"

Taishiji, who was still kneeling, said, "I cannot just accept such graciousness with nothing in return. In that mindset, I would like to make a proposition. I will leave and sever all ties with Yoshu and join Nanyo."

Everyone in the room, aside from a certain blonde, swallowed their tongues in shock.

Taishiji then continued, "However, I will not be joining to follow the orders of Nanyo's leader. No, I will join and follow only your orders."

Now this caused Naruto a small amount of surprise. He looked back at Satoshi and Renji and then asked, "What about the students who follow you?"

Taishiji answered, "I will leave that decision up to them, but should they follow me they will be my equals under you."

Satoshi and Renji ran over to Taishiji's side and knelt as well, Satoshi saying, "We will gladly follow Taishiji wherever he leads."

Naruto sighed uncomfortably and scratched his chin and asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Taishiji nodded and said, "Yes. I can see that you are easily ten times the man Ryuuyo is and have much more honor than he. I will gladly fall into your service after everything you have done for me."

Naruto thought for a moment and then reached into his pocket and pulled something out and tossed it to Taishiji as he left the hospital room saying, "Get rid of that stupid bandana."

Taishiji blinked in curiosity at the blonde and then redirected his attention to the object. It was a blue sash with a metal plate in the middle with a symbol on it that meant, 'shinobi'. Taishiji pulled off his bandana and tied the headband securely around his forehead, the plate displayed proudly in the middle. He then noticed that two more had fallen to the ground and handed one each to Satoshi and Renji, saying, "You too."

They nodded and applied the headbands. Satoshi put it on his head while Renji tied it around his left bicep with the plate facing out.

* * *

Outside Naruto left the hospital with a headband bearing a black sash in his hand and said to himself, "Just you wait _Toutaku_, this time you lose."

* * *

Hakufu and Myousai bowed to the three ex-Yoshu students and raced after Naruto, eventually catching him.

Myousai then asked, "So, what will you do now?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Well, I'll just wait for Yoshu's answer."

"Their answer?" Hakufu asked.

Naruto nodded and said, "Yoshu can't be pleased with me taking their strongest toushi, even if they tried to kill him themselves, along with all of the toushi loyal to him. So chances are they'll retaliate, and when that happens I'll need to decide what to do."

"What do you mean?" Hakufu asked again.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "It's actually rather complicated. But put simply, I've done something Yoshu won't like, so they're going to retaliate. My seemingly only option is to retaliate myself, which will simply cause a cycle of retaliation until Yoshu falls. My hope is that I can stop the cycle before it truly starts."

"And if not?" Myousai asked.

Naruto grumbled and said, "In that case…to protect the people around me I'll have no choice but to destroy Yoshu."

Hakufu frowned and asked, "Is that really the only option?"

Naruto sighed and said, "In a world filled with hate people must fight to protect what they care about. In this case it's my friends, you guys."

Myousai blushed while Hakufu simply smiled and wrapped Naruto in a tight hug and shouted, "Yay! Me and Naruto are friends!"

Naruto saw the looks he was getting for having the busty girl essentially smother him and said, "Hey Hakufu, could you let go?"

She pulled back and asked with a tilt of the head, "Why?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Because we're getting weird looks."

She looked around and let go before laughing uncomfortably, and loudly.

Naruto just sighed and said, "Let's go."

* * *

The trio were soon joined by Ryomou who got out of the hospital later than them and then the four went to the forest's edge where Gakushu and Koukin were waiting. But Naruto noticed a new, or rather old, face with them.

He looked at the other blonde and said, "Genpou Saji."

Ryomou saw Saji and said excitedly, "Saji! You're back!"

Saji chuckled and said, "Hey Mou-chan."

Ryomou blushed at the nickname and turned her head away.

Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously, Saji's malicious intent was plain as day to him. It was too small to sense its focus but he could sense it all the same. He put his hand on Myousai's shoulder and whispered, "Be careful, I can sense Saji oozing hostility. I can't tell who it's towards but watch yourself."

Myousai simply nodded as they joined the trio in the clearing.

Deciding to try and get a fix on Saji, Naruto asked, "So, just where have you been this whole time?"

Saji shrugged and said, "I'm one of the Big Four, I needn't report my every move. But if you must know, I was injured after a battle and spent a few weeks recovering with a friend. But now I'm back, and just in time too since I hear the next tournament is approaching."

Naruto nodded and asked, "I suppose I can understand that. But why are you here?"

Saji chuckled and said, "Why Shuyu invited me. He told me you guys had been doing some training retreats and I tagged along. That's fine isn't it?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "These training sessions are extremely special and for those I invite only. And you are not one of them."

"Why not? He's just a bra salesman," Hakufu said.

Naruto sighed and whapped her the head saying, "We've been over this, no he's not. As for why he's not invited…it's simple. I don't like him."

"Hey! That's no reason to exclude him from specialized training that would do nothing more than benefit Nanyo," Ryomou argued.

Naruto noticed how she seemed to completely change around him and became worried. Deciding to test his theory and keep Saji from running he continued to attack him while subtly activating his ryugan's chakra seeing abilities, "That's plenty reason. This training is something special that I came up with over several years of hard work and I won't just pass it around to just anyone. I need to trust that that person won't use the training against me." His eyes narrowed as his theory was proven. He could see by the disruption in Ryomou's chakra that it was obvious, she was under the effect of a genjutsu. A genjutsu that he assumed was constant and passive, activating when she was in Saji's presence and altering her thoughts and perceptions in such a way that she effectively became putty in Saji's hands.

Ryomou could on growl in annoyance as he altered mind attempted to defend Saji as Naruto approached. When he started getting too close she backed away, saying, "H-hey…what are you-"

Her sentence was interrupted as Naruto placed two fingers on her forehead, something that caused Saji's eyes to widen, and said, "Release."

Suddenly Ryomou's entire body stiffened before it loosened and she slumped to the ground.

"Hey, what happened to Mou-chan?" Hakufu asked.

A moment later Ryomou woke up and became enraged, before lashing out at Saji.

Saji jumped back, his carefree attitude gone as he asked, "Whoa, what's gotten in to you Ryomou?"

Ryomou snarled and said, "You did something to my mind! I didn't know it until now but every time I got close I lost almost complete control of my body."

Saji snarled and looked at Naruto and asked, "How'd you figure it out?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "I have no reason to answer to you. I still remember when you tried to cast a genjutsu on me shortly after Hakufu showed up. However, I will tell you this. I consider Ryomou, Hakufu, Koukin, Myousai, and Gakushu to be my friends. So if anything happens to them that I discover you have a connection to, there isn't a hole deep enough for you to hide. So I suggest that you think greatly about leaving Nanyo and limping back to Toutaku, Shishi Ouin."

Saji's heart nearly stopped and he grit his teeth in rage. "How…how did you know?" he snarled out.

Naruto walked forward, releasing his killer intent that manifested as an illusion of Ryuujin's silhouette behind him and said, "That isn't your concern. But tell Toutaku his forces aren't as cohesive as he thinks."

Saji, Ouin chuckled and turned to Ryomou to speak before she socked him in the face and growled, "Get. Out. And if I ever see you again I'll kill you myself."

Ouin rubbed the blood from his lip and said, "You'll regret this, Naruto Uzumaki."

The group watched as Ouin limped away from the field.

Ryomou sighed and asked, "So, what's going to happen now?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Ouin will probably go back to Toutaku and report this little infiltration to him."

"Actually, how did you know about this?" Gakushu asked.

Naruto smirked and said, "Well, to put it simply, I've got an information pipeline that flows directly through Rakuyo. I hope you'll understand if I won't say more."

The others nodded and Hakufu whined, "Heeeeyyy, now that that boring stuff is over can we get to the training?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Right, right. If I remember correctly, we were working on condensing chakra right?"

Everyone nodded and Naruto said, "Well, then continue it. I want to see how much improvement you guys have made. And if there's enough we just might move on to the next stage of training."

* * *

A short distance away, Ouin walked over to a corner and grumbled. He pulled out his phone and with a sigh said, "Well, guess it's time to tell Mr. Bigshot that this whole thing fell apart. I'm so going to be demoted for this…and then I can't spend time playing with my honeys."

* * *

To Naruto's surprise, there was staggering improvement across the board. Hakufu's chakra was controlled enough that she losing less than forty percent of it, which was a vast upgrade to last time. Gakushu was losing almost none, how someone like him had such intense chakra control still boggled the blonde's mind. Koukin's was improved as well, he was condensing enough for a faint light to be visible without his ryugan. Lastly was Ryomou's. It seemed it was Ouin's genjutsu that kept Ryomou's dragon insane and now without her chakra control was far better. Her control was somewhere between Hakufu's and Koukin's level of control. Overall he was quite pleased with the results. He clapped his hands and said, "Alright, why don't you all stop, this is high enough control to move on."

Everyone nodded and stood up, waiting to see what the next goal was.

Naruto grinned deviously and said, "The next goal, is to learn a technique I call a jutsu. I'm only going to teach you three but these three are invaluable and since practically no other toushi will have any of them it will make you all more powerful."

This seemed to excite everyone, even Ryomou whom Naruto assumed was just glad to have something besides Ouin to focus on.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a kunai and tossed it to Myousai and said, "Now if you please, my lovely assistant will help me display the first jutsu, the Substitution Jutsu."

Myousai smiled at his theatrics and then went along. She stood a good distance away from Naruto and reared back the kunai, this causing everyone to widen their eyes, before hurling it at the blonde, impaling him in the head, resulting in multiple gasps. Right before he erupted in a plume of smoke and turned into a log.

Hakufu was the first to stand and shouted, "Gah! He turned into a log!"

"No I didn't."

They all turned to see Naruto sitting up in a tree, just fine, several feet behind them.

Hopping down he began to explain, "The substitution works by finding an object nearby with similar size to your own and, using a specialized form of transportation, switches your position with its position; thus getting you free of harm's way. It's also very effective for escaping dangerous situations."

Everyone nodded in anticipation as he went on to explain the fundamentals of the technique and how to do it.

* * *

Elsewhere, Toutaku sat in his favorite room as Kaku walked in with a sullen expression. He narrowed his eyes as she approached and asked, "What news do you bring Kaku? I can see by your expression that it is nothing good."

Kaku nodded and said, "Shishi Ouin just reported in. His infiltration was compromised and the mission considered a failure."

Toutaku clenched his hand around the orchid in his hand and asked, "Did he say who it was that compromised his task?"

Kaku nodded and said, "He said the name was Naruto Uzumaki."

Toutaku froze completely. He then rushed over to Kaku, slammed her against a wall by the shoulders and growled out, "What did you just say!?"

Fearful she repeated, "O-Ouin reported his-"

"I know that part! What did you say the name was!?" Toutaku demanded in growing rage.

"N-Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki!" Kaku screamed out as Toutaku dropped her and began trembling in rage.

He then began mumbling, "No, no, it…it can't be. It can't be him…how did that shit follow me here? How? How!?" Stomping away Toutaku decided to relieve his stress the way he usually does, by killing his own toushi.

Kaku could only stare in blank horror. She had never seen Toutaku become that enraged before, over anything. Even the time one of his schools was completely wiped out he was calmer than that. It was at that point Kaku decided that if she stayed with Toutaku too much longer that she was certain to die.

* * *

Ryofu and Chinkyu were in Ryofu's makeshift home when they heard the sounds of shouting and death outside.

Ryofu said offhanded, "Guess Toutaku's pissed again."

Frowning with worry, Chinkyu said, "Yeah. It sounds worse than normal though."

Ryofu nodded and added, "It's probably best to stay in the house for now."

Chinkyu nodded in agreement as she Ryofu continued compiling the information for the next report they would give to Naruto.

* * *

Naruto stood in the clearing, training with Hakufu, Koukin, Ryomou and Gakushu. All four were either kneeling or sitting, panting heavily.

The first to speak was Koukin as he said, "Geez…that…thing seemed…easier to do when you…did it."

Naruto laughed and said, "That's usually the way it works out. But you guys are getting better, you're actually able to successfully switch places with a marble now."

Ryomou glared weakly and said, "Yippee, until we can move something the same size as ourselves this thing's useless."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Pretty much. But you're developing quickly. For now I think we can call it quits for today." Everyone sighed and began to disperse when Naruto said, "Hey, mind if I check your eye again?"

Ryomou nodded and followed him to the same spot they used last time.

Naruto nodded and said, "Right, go ahead and remove your eye patch."

Ryomou nodded and pulled away the patch, revealing her left eye.

Naruto then activated his ryugan and nearly fell backwards.

Ryomou frowned and asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "That's the strange part, nothing's wrong. Even with your eye patch off the dragon's chakra is having almost no effects. In fact, it almost looks like the damage it's been causing is being reversed."

Ryomou raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean reversed?"

Naruto shrugged and responded, "Exactly what I said. The damage the dragon's chakra has been causing is being reversed and repaired…by the dragon's chakra. I think the whole reason the dragon was reacting to your body the way it was is because of Ouin's genjutsu. With that gone the dragon seems to be coexisting with your body completely." '_Any ideas?_' he asked Ryuujin.

To which the dragon answered, **"**_**Just one. That being that these dragons aren't truly sentient like the tailed beasts were. They're fragments of my chakra for sure, but they're not being bound by a truly conscious will, they're being bound by a somehow fictitious willpower, most likely provided by that genjutsu. That artificial mind is likely what's causing the dragons to be so violent and insane; they're not truly conscious, they're just raw power and as such only know how to destroy. Without that artificial will forced upon them, the fragments are little more than simple, pure chakra for the container to use. This essentially means that whoever is behind all of this, the dragons, the tournaments, the magatamas is also responsible for mutating my chakra fragments like this.**_**"**

Naruto nodded and said, "Well, Ryomou, it seems that your issues with the dragon are null and void. Now it's nothing more than a powerful mass of chakra contained in your right eye. My supposition is that now, that chakra will not be constantly active and trying to break free by destroying your body, it will instead treat your body like its own and repair damage done to it and, as it seems to be doing now, reinforcing your bones and muscles; making them more durable and more resistance to breaking down."

Ryomou froze completely still. Her eyes widened to epic proportions and her whole body loosened, causing her to drop her eye patch and slump to her knees.

Naruto rushed over and grabbed her by the shoulders and said, "Ryomou! Ryomou what's wrong!?"

Tears started to edge at her eyes and she mumbled, "I…don't believe it."

Naruto tilted his head and asked, "Don't believe what?"

Her body still frozen in shock as the tears slowly fell down her face she said, "I can't believe, that this…thing that has tormented my life for the past three years is…just gone…like that." She turned to Naruto and slowly broke into a small smile as she said, "And it's…all thanks…to you." The realization seeming to finally hit her full force she fell over unconscious.

Naruto just sighed and said, "Oh boy."

* * *

Naruto walked back out into the clearing where he saw the others attempting the Substitution Jutsu and noticed two main things, Koukin was doing well, Hakufu and Gakushu however were not.

Koukin was managing to substitute himself with a nearby small log while the others were still stuck with the marble.

Hakufu pouted and then looked over and saw Naruto holding an unconscious Ryomou bridal style. She blinked and asked, "What happened to Mou-chan?"

Naruto just shrugged and said, "She passed out from overexertion. I'm going to take her back to her apartment, think you can handle the training Kou-chan?"

Myousai nodded.

Naruto then added, "Hey, why don't you teach Gakushu and Hakufu the other jutsus?"

Myousai nodded and asked, "How long do you think you'll be?"

Naruto shrugged again and said, "Not sure. At least until she wakes up."

"Right. If you end up staying late I'll tell Minato and Kushina," Myousai added.

Naruto nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Whoa! What was that?!" Hakufu asked in excitement. "Will we be learning that one too!?"

Myousai shook her head and said, "It's a more advanced technique and uses the same principles as the Substitution. So if you can't do it you can't do the other."

Hakufu pouted and said, "Awww that stinks."

Myousai shrugged and said, "Since Naruto is gone I'll be teaching you the next jutsu called the Transformation Jutsu."

Hakufu and Gakushu nodded as Myousai began to explain the jutsu.

* * *

Naruto appeared atop Ryomou's apartment building in a burst of smoke, the bluenette still unconscious.

He jumped down to the level her place was located on and then walked over to the door and frowned and said lamely, "Crap. I don't have the keys." He looked at Ryomou and said with a sigh, "Guess I'll just have a clone pick the lock and come up with a lie later."

Seconds later two shadow clones burst into existence, one transforming into a set of tools for picking the lock and then began to do so. After a few short seconds the door opened and Naruto walked in, then turned to the remaining clone and said, "Head back to the school and grab her book bag would you?"

The clone nodded and vanished in a yellow flash.

Naruto walked in, using his foot to close the door, and moved over to Ryomou's bedroom and laid her down on the bed, deciding it best to just leave her as she was, and covered her with the blanket. With that done he grabbed a chair and sat with his arms resting on the back waiting for her to awake and for his clone to return.

* * *

Ryomou slowly opened her eyes groggily and took in her surroundings as her eyes adjusted to the light, or lack thereof. Taking a cursory glance she realized she was in her room. Looking to her left she saw Naruto, sitting on a chair, resting his head in his arms as he slept soundly. Her first reaction was to throw off the blanket to check, and she was astonished that he had seemingly left her untouched, not even removing her shoes. She suppressed a grateful smile and blush that edged her cheeks before deciding to don proper sleeping attire, away from the blonde naturally. After preparing for bed properly she saw her bag laying on the kitchen table and thought, '_He even retrieved my bag._' She smiled and walked over to the closet, then placed a blanket over Naruto as he slept.

* * *

In his pocket dimension, Ryuujin watched this with an amused smirk and said, **"Heh, to believe this used to be the kid that ran around shouting 'ramen!' all damn day."**

Next to him, a spectral image resembling a large orange fox appeared and said in a deep voice, **"You'd be surprised how different the brat was. Now, he may have actually had a chance to stop that madman."** The very next moment the fox vanished.

Ryuujin decided to get some sleep himself, since even immortal dragons get sleepy.

* * *

Naruto was awakened the next morning by being shaken. Groggily rubbing his eyes and looking around, he realized he was in Ryomou's room and muttered, "Oh, guess I fell asleep."

"I guess you did."

Naruto turned to see Ryomou standing nearby in her school uniform with a playful smile. He simply blinked curiously and then became aware of the blanket on him and asked, "Did you put this on me?"

Ryomou nodded and said with a light coloring to her cheeks, "Yeah. You seemed a little cold sitting in that chair."

Naruto smiled and said, "Thanks…Mou-chan."

She frowned and said, "Don't call me that."

Naruto stood up and walked by to his bag and said, "Whatever you say, Mou-chan."

She frowned again, which turned into a small smile as she followed beside him out the door and to the school.

* * *

Naruto and Ryomou were walking on their way to the school when Ryomou began focusing on the ground, occasionally glancing at Naruto before she mumbled something he couldn't understand, even with his chakra enhance hearing. He looked at her and said, "Say something?"

She hid her eyes behind her bangs and mumbled again.

Naruto frowned and said, "I still couldn't hear you."

She mumbled again, this time Naruto made out a few words but they didn't make sense and he said with slight annoyance, "I still can't hear you."

Ryomou then shouted, "You didn't need to sleep on the chair the bed's big enough!"

Naruto blinked in confusion as Ryomou's face was a color of red he hadn't seen in several hundred years. The two of them then noticed eyes on them and slowly turned their attention forward. It turns out they had made it to the school's entrance and most everyone outside the school had heard her shouting.

Naruto laughed uncomfortably while Ryomou moaned and hid her face behind her bag and said, "I wish I was dead."

* * *

Inside the classroom, Satoshi and Renji whom, along with Taishiji and his followers, had managed to transfer to Nanyo, with the help of a little ninja magic, were standing around Naruto's desk joking, mainly about the most amusing incident that morning. Renji slapped Naruto on the back and said, "Way to go man."

Naruto had his head resting on his elbows and grumbled out, "Go to hell."

Renji slung his arm over Naruto's shoulder and said, "Come on, there's no way you carried her all the way to her house and took care of her without getting _anything_."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "Hard as it is to believe, I did. After all, I healed Taishiji with the same expectation."

"Yeah, but you did get something regardless," Satoshi added.

Naruto sighed and said, "Well the truth is nothing happened."

"But what was with that comment this morning about the bed?" Renji asked with a knowing smile.

Naruto slapped the back of his head and said, "That comment was about the fact that I slept in a chair, it had nothing to do with what you gutter-fused minds think it does."

Renji and Satoshi frowned as their heads were slapped together.

They turned to see Taishiji who said, "Uzumaki isn't the type to take advantage of someone like that."

Renji sighed and said, "Yeah, guess you're right; sorry Uzumaki."

Naruto shrugged and said, "As long as you don't bring it up with Shimei I can handle your perversion. Believe me you're tame compared to a pervert I met a while back." Naruto sighed and twitched an eyebrow as he thought, '_Hyodo would have a field day at this school._'

Moments later Gakushu entered the classroom and looked at Naruto and said, "Come with me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and nodded.

* * *

Outside, Gakushu brought Naruto to the back of the school and asked, "Have you seen Enjutsu at all in the past few months?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and responded, "Why are you asking me? You're one of the Big Four, don't you report to him directly?"

Gakushu shook his head and said, "Not for a while. For the past few months we've given all of our reports to Sa-er Ouin and now with him gone we have no one to report to. I also can't find Kannei and I'm getting worried because it was around the time that Kannei began to lose his mind that Enjutsu seemed to disappear."

Naruto frowned and asked, "Is Enjutsu's station still the old boiler room?"

Gakushu nodded and said, "Yes but Saji didn't allow anyone in and anyone foolish enough to try and break in had to go through Kannei first."

Naruto sighed and said, "I think it's time we figure this all out. I'm thinking Ouin had a hand in all this so get Shimei and we'll go find Enjutsu and get some answers."

"What about Kannei?" Gakushu asked.

"Please. I defeated both Ouin and Taishiji, someone like Kannei isn't a threat," Naruto said offhanded.

Gakushu nodded uncertainly and said, "Right. When do you want us to meet?"

Naruto thought for a moment and then said, "Immediately after school. I'll explain the situation to the others while we deal with this."

Gakushu nodded and left.

After a quick sigh and a muttering of an old friend's tagline, "What a drag," Naruto too left their meeting area.

Both seemed unaware to the figure that observed them from the shadows.

* * *

Immediately after the final class for the day Naruto, Ryomou and Gakushu assembled outside Nanyo's old schoolhouse and Naruto said, "We're breaking in here to find out from Enjutsu himself what's been going on. His orders over the last few months have been far outside the norm and his lack of appearance anywhere in the school is suspicious. Also, his disappearance coinciding with Kannei's mental break can't be coincidence."

Ryomou nodded and said, "Right, and of the three of us Kannei was the closest to Enjutsu so it's likely we'll face him inside."

"You just leave Kannei to me," Naruto ordered.

The two nodded and Naruto opened the door to the old schoolhouse.

* * *

The trio walked around the old building, the boards creaking as they moved. Naruto kept a constant pulse of chakra going outwards to sense any movement. At that point all he had come across were some rather large rats and a few stray cats.

It was then that Naruto stopped as all of the animals vacated the area quickly. That didn't mean anything good. He then sensed a chakra signature that was massive compared to human signatures that was approaching quickly. Almost immediately the ground began tremble greatly followed by the sound of smashing wood.

Naruto then shouted, "Scatter!" Ryomou and Gakushu immediately jumped away as something smashed through the wall, kicking up large amounts of dust and wood chips.

Shielding his eyes from the dust Naruto saw the source of the attack, and his body froze. What he saw was a chakra construct, he could tell that much, but how it looked was what was important. It looked like a gigantic, green, eastern dragon with large teeth. The dragon opened its mouth and Naruto could see chakra condensing in its mouth and shouted, "It's going to fire a chakra blast! Get away!"

Doing so immediately, the trio barely dodged the massive beam of energy that shot from its mouth and barreled out of the building, before being absorbed by a barrier Naruto assumed was there to contain the beast.

He grit his teeth and said, "Damn. I can't fight something that big in such a confined space. Ryuujin, I need to blast a hole in the roof."

"_**Right, just give me a moment,**_**"** Ryuujin responded.

Almost immediately shadows began coalescing in the air, thickening and darkening into a black blob that shifted into a humanoid shape. This shape then became refined as a figure resembling a human male appeared. He had long black hair with ryugan eyes with black lines extending down his face from his eyes. His head was adorned in a two piece helmet resembling the head of a humanoid dragon with three eyes made of red crystal and three horns on top, his torso was covered in armor resembling a black ribcage with maroon tissue underneath with a large ryugan eye in the middle, his shoulders had large pauldrons with a row of teeth at the bottom with a large ryugan covering the majority with ringed armor on his upper arms and his forearms covered in gauntlets that resembled reptilian dragon heads with two empty eye sockets, a row of plate like skirt armor covered his waist with his legs adorned in the same ringed armor as his upper arms with ryugans on his pointed knee armor and another set on the ends of his boots which resembled a skull with a wide open mouth. He flexed his arms in and then extended them out and said, "Ryuujin Dusk Armor." This was Ryuujin's humanoid form based off a creature he encountered long ago called Duskmon. Ryuujin stuck out his left arm and the dragon head opened its mouth allowing a red blade with a sharp wave shape extended out.

Ryomou and Gakushu could only watch as Ryuujin stared down the other dragon and Ryomou mumbled, "What…is that?"

Naruto turned to Ryuujin and said, "Ryu, keep that thing busy while I blast a hole in the roof."

Ryu nodded and charged at the dragon, slicing in an upward arc; rocking the serpentine beast's head back.

Naruto decided he didn't have time for hand signs and went for his other jutsu activation technique and said, "Explosion Style: Landmine Fist!" Naruto thrust his hand forward and a blast of energy shot out and then blasted through the entire building straight through the roof. Naruto turned and said, "Ryu, lead it to the roof!"

Ryu nodded and said, "Hey snakeface, follow me." Ryu then ran over to the hole and jumped through it, the serpentine dragon following straight behind.

Ryomou and Gakushu were near speechless at what they just witnessed. Ryomou then shook her head and said, "While he's dealing with that…_thing_, we should look for Enjutsu."

Gakushu nodded and said, "Right. Besides, I think we'd just get in the way in this fight."

Ryomou nodded and she and Gakushu went deeper into the old building, trying to steer clear of the debris.

* * *

On the roof Naruto and Ryu jumped through the hole Naruto had made and landed on the ceiling's concrete, quickly followed by the dragon making the hole larger.

Naruto smirked and said, "So, ready to go to town again?"

Ryu nodded and said, "Yes, it's been several hundred years since I've used this form. It should be interesting to see how it compares to this dragon rather than devils." Then he raised his right arm, allowing a red blade to come out of it as well. With both blades raised he said, "At the very least, I shouldn't be too bored. If you want kid, I can handle snakey while you find Enjutsu and turn him inside out."

Naruto looked at the dragon as it freed itself from the building and began circling them and then asked, "You can take him on your own?"

Ryu laughed and said, "Right now, you'd only get in the way."

Naruto nodded and jumped back down the hole.

Ryu smirked and said, "Let's dance."

* * *

Naruto dropped down into the old school building and sent a chakra pulse to find Ryomou and Gakushu. After finding them he ran after them.

Ryomou and Gakushu were searching aimlessly through the structure they were discovered by Naruto who said, "Glad I found you guys."

Gakushu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Just what happened back there?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's a long story for another time. For now let's find Enjutsu."

The other two nodded and resumed trailing behind the blonde.

Naruto asked Ryomou, "Think you can lead me to the boiler room?"

She nodded and responded, "I have a rough idea, there've been remodels since the last time the Big Four had a meeting here so things are different."

Naruto smirked and said, "Here's an idea. You point in the general direction and I'll marine our way there."

Ryomou tilted her head and pointed in a specific direction.

Naruto nodded and said, "Stand back and don't tell anyone about this."

"Even if we did no one would believe us," Ryomou said.

Naruto flashed through several hand signs and then made a circle shape with his hands. A ball of light then formed in front of his hands with a halo around it. Energy then flowed between the ball and the halo followed immediately behind multiple blasts of energy in a wide scattering pattern, inevitably creating a path to Enjutsu's location. Naruto turned to an expected sight, Ryomou and Gakushu looked shellshocked.

Ryomou sighed and said, "Nothing about you surprises me anymore."

Naruto laughed and said, "So it seems." He motioned through his makeshift hallway and said, "Shall we?"

* * *

Ryu landed on the roof as the dragon smashed its head into the nearby spot. Ryu laughed and said, "You're not very smart are you?"

The dragon picked up its head and charged a blast of chakra.

As it fired Ryu jumped to dodge. He then pointed his right arm at the dragon, the head on his arm opening and forming a black ball of energy. He reared his hand over his chest and then tossed the ball of energy at the dragon.

The dragon opened its mouth and blasted several blasts of energy that collided with Ryu's black energy, slowly knocking it off course until it landed on the ground nearby, shrunk and then expanded with a burst of pressure and then vanished, everything it touched being completely gone.

Ryu chuckled and said, "Not bad. Let's see how you handle this." He placed his right arm out to his left side and formed a sphere, then slowly swiped his across until it was at his right side, forming spheres at intervals until he had a total of nine black spheres of energy across his torso. He lifted his left arm and tapped the middlemost sphere, sending it hurtling at meteoric speeds.

The dragon barely managed to curl its body in order to dodge the sphere, causing it to crash behind the beast, shrink, expand and then vanish like before. This time the sphere crashed into a building and took a large portion of the structure with it.

Ryu then raised both arms and sent two spheres flying, the dragon flew to dodge the spheres. Ryu smirked under his mask and tapped one more sphere, sending it smashing into the middle of the dragon, shrinking and then expanding, destroying everything but the end of the tail and the head. Ryu sighed and dispelled the other spheres. Using his own telekinetic abilities he lifted the dragon's head, and then narrowed his eyes in childish deviousness.

* * *

Naruto and company reached the end of Naruto's makeshift hallway and found a pile of rubble in front of a steel door.

Ryomou pointed to the door and said, "That's the door to the boiler room, Enjutsu's base."

Naruto nodded and walked forward, but then immediately jumped back as a tonfa smashed into the nearby wall. He looked to the side and saw Kannei walked out from the shadows, his torso slumped over and his tongue hanging loosely from his mouth in a psychotic smile. Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "Saji's gone. We came to see Enjutsu."

Kannei nodded slowly and walked over to the door and kicked it down and said insanely, "Enjutsu inside."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and walked in, Ryomou and Gakushu behind him with Kannei behind them.

Naruto approached and scrunched his nose in disgust and thought, '_That smell. It's…rotting flesh. I don't think we're going to find Enjutsu…oh, right…you're not here._'

Naruto neared the back of the boiler room and his suspicions were confirmed. There on the ground, slumped over and near-mummified, surrounded by candlelight, was the corpse of Kouro Enjutsu. Naruto sighed and turned around as Gakushu shouted in pain, then fell to the ground unconscious.

"Gakushu!" Ryomou shouted.

Kannei then walked out of the shadows, a figure behind him.

"What are you doing here!?" Ryomou shouted in anger.

"Heheheh, you were always so slow on the uptake, Mou-chan," said Shishi Ouin as he left the shadows.

Naruto asked evenly, "I thought I told you to never come back Ouin."

Ouin chuckled and said, "Please, for the past six months I've had Nanyo completely under my thumb. Just because some random toushi pointed out my lie doesn't mean I'll just limp home. No, not when I've had full control over Nanyo."

Naruto looked at Kannei, Enjutsu, then Ouin and said, "I see. You tricked Kannei into killing Enjutsu. That caused Kannei, who was fiercely loyal to Enjutsu, to have a mental break. So then you've been ruling Nanyo pretending to be Enjutsu."

Ouin began to laugh and clap and said, "Bravo, bravo! You're rather smart aren't you? Unfortunately, because everyone in this room now knows this, I'll need to eliminate you. Toutaku has agreed to have the blame placed on Rakuyo for your deaths, that way his ultimate ambition will come to fruition."

"And what might that be?" Naruto asked.

Ouin smirked and said, "Oh, that's none of your business. I need to eliminate all of you, but I won't kill you."

Naruto frowned and asked, "How will that work?"

Ouin snapped his fingers and said, "This is how."

Two students in Rakuyo uniforms entered the rooms holding different objects. When Naruto realized what those objects were he grit his teeth.

They were Minato and Kushina. Ouin chuckled and said, "As you can see, there is little you can do at this point. So…I have a proposition."

"And what would that be?" Naruto asked.

"Simple. You and three other toushi join the Big Fighters' Tournament. Then, you win the tournament and come to Rakuyo to claim your prize. At that point you and your four toushi will then fight until one remains. That one will then be selected as Nanyo's leader to work under Toutaku. You will then serve Toutaku completely to help him find the next school to be used. If you lose, or if you refuse our orders your parents will lose their lives. Do you understand?" Ouin said maniacally.

Naruto grit his teeth and Ryomou couldn't help but tremble, she had never expected the man she knew as Saji was this twisted. Naruto nodded and said, "Alright Ouin, I understand. But tell me one thing."

Ouin shrugged and said, "Sure. But don't dig too deep."

Naruto seethed and said, "What does Toutaku hope to accomplish with this?"

Ouin chuckled and said, "The fact that you are asking that only proves that you already know the answer."

Naruto nodded and said, "I see, so it's true then?"

Ouin shrugged and said, "Perhaps. Now, you've asked your question. We'll allow you to choose the toushi for this tournament and allow you to choose the order of fighters at the end. Just remember two things, you need to win and you cannot tell anyone outside this room or your parents die."

"Sorry, but my boy Naruto isn't your toy!"

Ouin looked around angrily as he tried to find the source of the voice. In the next moment a loud crash was heard in the back of the room as something crashed through the ceiling. Ouin's eyes widened in shock as he saw the severed head of the dragon lying on the ground, Ryu sitting comfortably on top.

Naruto looked at him and said, "Took you long enough."

Ryu chuckled and said, "Sorry kid, I tried to get here quicker but mister lizard took up my time. So, is blondie picking on you?"

Naruto said coldly, "This isn't the time for jokes."

Ryu's countenance changed and he simply nodded and hopped down from the dragon's head.

Ouin put his hand next to Kushina's head and said, "Not another step or I'll kill her."

Ryu sighed and said, "Sorry Naruto, I can't use any more time in this form." Ryu's body then darkened into a shadow and then dissipated.

Naruto glared and asked him, '_What the hell was that!?_'

"_**Sorry kid, this world's mana flow doesn't work with my humanoid form like the other world did. So I can only survive in that world for so long before I need to pull back,**_**"** Ryuujin said, obviously apologetic.

Naruto grit his teeth as he attempted to find a way out of his current situation.

* * *

**Well, that was chapter ten. Tell me what you guys thought about it, including the changes that have happened to the total story along with other ideas.**


	11. Lost Souls

Chapter XI

**Hello readers. Well this is it. We're in the final stretch of the story for season one of Ikkitousen. On that note I'd like to add that I will be breaking up the season's of Ikkitousen into separate stories meaning that when this season is concluded this story will be marked complete and the second season will be started up in a new story. Also, I have some other stories I need to take care of meaning there is going to be a sizable gap between the end of this story and the start of the second story so apologies to anyone disappointed by that. However you should know that I will be attempting to go through the entirety of the Ikkitousen story, the anime not the manga, at least as it fits within what I've done here. I also want to give a warning that this chapter is dark, I mean dark. For all those who complained about Naruto seeming weak, I'd say his bodycount in this chapter more than makes up for that. I do want to mention one thing that everyone has brought up which is a mostly valid point, that being why Naruto simply didn't go into bamf mode and wreck Ouin's shit up. The reason for that is quite simple, Naruto's target has been Toutaku, and if he were to just annihilate one of Toutaku's biggest lieutenants Toutaku would go into hiding. But if he plays by Toutaku's rule for a little bit and then goes to Rakuyo, he can then take care of both Ouin and Toutaku with neither escaping. Now on to my favorite part, reviewer responses.**

**kira09: Mainly for the reasons I mentioned but also because there was another reason, a spoilery one that will be revealed later, as to why Naruto couldn't do that. It's lame I know but the story wouldn't have been very long or entertaining otherwise.**

**Exalted Demi-Soul: Read the chapter and then tell me if it seems he's still holding back a lot.**

**It: Sadly, like I said before, him going all-out then rather than later would have had more negative repercussions than good, plus like I said before there are other reasons to Naruto not just owning everyone.**

**U.N.S.: I sent you a PM about your review.**

**I think that's it so let's get into the chapter. I really want to hear everyone's opinion on this one.**

* * *

Inside Nanyo Academy's old school building, Shishi Ouin and two of his thugs held Naruto's parents captive across from Naruto himself as well as an unconscious Gakushu and a weakened Ryomou.

Ouin chuckled darkly and said, "You see, Uzumaki. All you need to do is fight in the tournament with a selected team of five, beat all of your opponent schools and then make your way to Rakuyo where your team will fight each other to the death, where the winner will get the reward. Now…a few stipulations. If anyone outside of this room discovers about this plan, if your school loses or if you personally lose then your parents will die. So, do you accept our rules, or do you wish for their deaths here and now?"

Naruto clenched his fists and trembled. He then loosened and dropped into a sigh and said, "I don't have much of a choice do I, I'll accept. But I want you to know something Ouin, and I want you to tell this to Toutaku."

Ouin raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"When we get to Rakuyo, I'm going to destroy Toutaku, and kill him," Naruto said angrily.

Ouin chuckled and said, "Say that _after_ you win."

Through grit teeth Naruto responded, "Oh don't worry, I won't lose."

"Good. The first match is in two days. And it of course is between Nanyo Academy and Yoshu Academy. I assume you will have plenty of reason to defeat them," Ouin said as he and his cronies left the building.

Naruto stood with his fists trembling and thought, '_Sorry mom, dad. I can't afford for Toutaku to go underground and disappear if I show my power by killing Ouin…but oh how easy it would be. Just you wait, when I fight Toutaku, there won't be an atom left of him. And maybe after I defeat Toutaku _he_ will show his face and this whole farce can end._' Naruto froze as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see a worried Ryomou behind him.

"We aren't actually going to go along with their plans are we?" she asked.

Naruto sighed and said, "We haven't got much of a choice about it. Don't worry, our chances of losing are zero. I'll make sure of that. I'll give an explanation to the others, of course one that hides all of this."

Ryomou nodded and asked, "So, who do we choose to fight?"

"You, me, Myousai, Sonsaku, and Shuyu. I'll be the first to fight each time if you don't mind," Naruto said. He then shook off Ryomou's hand and said coldly, "I need some things to prepare. I'll be at school tomorrow."

Ryomou nodded with a worried frown as Naruto disappeared.

* * *

Naruto walked in his front door and closed it slowly. He walked over to his room and stood in front of the door. He then bellowed in anger and punched the door, splintering it into shards. He walked into his room and began gathering up the items necessary for the tournament.

"_**What exactly are you going to bring, Naruto?**_**"** Ryuujin asked.

"Everything I need to win," Naruto said darkly. Laid out on the floor in front of him was a length of thin metal wire, many shuriken, many normal kunai and a large set of three pronged kunai with symbols on the wooden handle. And next to that was a large broad sword longer than the height of a man with a single sharpened edge, a semicircular indentation just above the hilt, a hole near the tip of the blade and a long handle with specific rungs for holding it. Naruto waved his hand and all of that vanished in a plume of smoke as symbols appeared on a scroll in his hands. He rolled up the scroll and held it in his hand as he seethed. He then sighed and said, "Well you bastard, if what you want is to see my power in action," his eyes emotionless he said, "then that's what you'll get."

* * *

Naruto attended school the same as normal the next day and discussed his fight plans with the others and met with Ryomou afterwards to assure her of their victory.

* * *

The next day the group of five headed towards the designated spot for the battle. It was a street tunnel where the actual fight took place within.

As Nanyo and Yoshu prepared their toushi, the referee, a student wearing a black robe-like outfit with long red hair studied the teams to make a prediction of the winner. Because Nanyo had five toushi and Yoshu only had two he predicted Nanyo would win. He made this prediction in his mind as the two groups stood opposite each other.

The referee asked loudly, "Are both side ready?!"

Naruto nodded as Nanyo's leader in the fight and Seirei Ryuuyo nodded as Yoshu's leader in actuality.

The ref nodded and said, "Will the first fighters for each, Naruto Uzumaki and Seirei Ryuuyo, please step forward."

Both walked into the spot for the battle. Naruto wearing his old orange shinobi outfit, complete with Leaf headband and a cold expression on his face.

Ryuuyo walked up wearing a simply red hoodie and jeans with a smirk on his face. He chuckled and said, "You may have been able to beat Taishiji, but I won't go down so easily."

"Let's just get this over with," Naruto said plainly as he cracked his neck.

Myousai became slightly concerned over Naruto's more distant demeanor but chalked it up to focus, as she was unaware of the circumstances surrounding the current events and was told Minato and Kushina had simply gone on a trip.

The ref swallowed nervously as Naruto stood, calm as a lake and put his hand pointing straight up in a chop shape and then sliced downwards, hopped away and shouted, "Begin!"

For a moment neither opponent moved before Ryuuyo spat and said, "If you're too scared to move then I will!" He charged at Naruto with his fist cocked, a sadistic grin on his face that only grew as he approached before he slammed his fist into Naruto's face. He laughed confidently at his seeming victory, but became confused and then terrified when he realized his punch did nothing.

Naruto asked calmly, "That's it?" He reached up his hand and grabbed Ryuuyo's then squeezed lightly, disintegrating the bones in Ryuuyo's arm and pulling it down from his face. Naruto then lifted up his arm across his torso, and swiftly swung it out to the side, nailing Ryuuyo in the head and slamming him into a wall at high speeds, kicking up large amounts of dust and debris; destroying every bone in his body and killing him.

Hanno froze in fear while the referee was in shock, as were the others from Nanyo. They weren't aware Naruto could do that.

The referee adjusted his collar and said, "H-Hanno is next."

Hanno stepped into the ring with a snarl and said, "You're gonna pay for that." He then pulled out a pocket knife from his jacket and flipped the blade out.

"Hey!" Ryomou shouted. "Weapons are against the rules!" she argued.

"So long as both toushi have one they are permissible," the ref retorted.

Hearing that, Naruto reached into his waist pack and pulled out one of the tri-pronged kunai and said, "I'll use this."

Each of the Nanyo toushi raised a confused eyebrow as to what the knife would be used for but didn't say anything. Although Myousai had a rough idea.

Hanno got into a stance to use his knife and said with a smirk, "Hope you're ready to die Nanyo scum."

Naruto didn't respond as the referee started the match.

Hanno began the same as Ryuuyo, charging straight at Naruto.

Naruto narrowed his eyes in annoyance and lazily tossed the kunai.

"Pathetic!" Hanno taunted as he dodged the kunai.

"Hmph," Naruto said plainly as his kunai went past. Deciding to play no more hiding games, he suddenly vanished in a yellow flash of light, before reappearing at his kunai just above and behind Hanno.

Hanno turned in slow motion as he realized Naruto was behind him just in time to see a swirling ball of blue energy in the blonde's right hand.

Naruto then reared back the ball and slammed it into Hanno's back, slamming him chest first into the pavement, fracturing it, sending shards flying and crushing Hanno's torso as he shouted, "Rasengan!"

Everyone present froze in complete shock, something like that was unheard of. Myousai had seen Naruto use both of those techniques before, but never in actual combat in front of so many people.

Ryomou and the others froze in complete shock. Naruto had just killed two people with absolutely no effort. Ryomou stood in complete awe as everything she had witnessed Naruto do just came crashing down and she asked breathlessly, "Just…just what _is_ he?"

Naruto stood slowly and calmly from Hanno's corpse and turned to the ref and said, "We win."

The referee stood trembling as he nodded and said, "R-right. N-N-Nanyo is the winner!"

* * *

At Rakuyo, Toutaku sat in his greenhouse with his group of girls and Ouin and his eyes were wide in complete shock as were the others'. Even Ouin was surprised as he thought, '_Hold on. If he has that kind of power, there must be even more he can do. If that's the case, why didn't he just kill me when…shit. He's after Chuuei._'

Ouin attempted to speak to said person but Toutaku instead slammed his fist into the concrete with rage in his eyes and said slowly, "Why? Why is this bastard doing this again? Why must he continuously interfere like this? And how the hell did he get so powerful!?"

Ouin stood in confusion as Toutaku ended his breathless rant and wondered, '_I get the feeling that when Uzumaki gets here to fight Chuuei, something beyond our imaginations is going to happen. I've got a bad feeling that Uzumaki and Chuuei are going to cause some serious damage when they fight._'

* * *

Back with the Nanyo group, Naruto moved to walk past his team but was stopped by Ryomou whose eyes were filled with confusion.

He simply looked at her and asked, "What?"

Trembling, she asked, "Tell us…just…just how powerful _are_ you?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Powerful enough that no one in this city poses a threat to me."

"Then why? Why not just kill Toutaku? Why not just put an end to all of this?" Ryomou asked.

Naruto looked at her and said, "Toutaku isn't who you think he is. If I go now and attack uninvited like we will be at the finals, he and whoever else of his little mess is still around will go underground and vanish without a trace. I can't afford for that to happen. I need to win this so I can kill him, and end this shit permanently. So if you don't mind, I'm going to continue our battles like this and simply pound my way to Toutaku, then I will end him for good." Naruto released himself from her grasp and walked away.

Ryomou looked at his retreating form in shock and confusion and asked Myousai, "Has he always been like this?"

Myousai turned and said, "If you mean this powerful then yes. If you mean in personality then no. I think that what's happened recently is starting to wear on him and he simply wants Toutaku eliminated. And if we can get to Rakuyo to get him, then Toutaku will die."

Koukin and Hakufu watched in mixed fear and confusion as Naruto's visage disappeared from view.

* * *

Over the following few days as the Big Fighters Tournament wore on, Nanyo and Naruto specifically had become infamous. Nanyo had been involved with three battles since their fight with Yoshu. These fights had been one sided as Naruto effectively eliminated the opponents.

The first he punched with a chakra filled hit that liquefied his internal organs. The second toushi he defeated when the man attempted a charged punch but missed and Naruto snap kicked him into a building, killing him. The last of the first school he defeated by grinding him into dust with a Giant Rasengan.

By that point he had become more well-known and so their next opponent, who had four toushi, sent two at a time at Naruto, something Toutaku had permitted. Naruto killed both by sucking out their souls with his ryugan, though to onlookers it appeared as though he simply ran past them as they fell to the ground dead. The last two charged him with swords and Naruto utilized his special kunai to teleport behind them both and stab them both in the neck.

* * *

It was after this that Nanyo was pitted against their next opponents, Moukaku and Mouyu from Nanban High School.

The Nanyo fighters arrived at Nanban's entrance, where the battle was chosen to take place, and saw Moukaku and Mouyu waiting there.

Myousai observed the two and thought, '_Can't they dress a little better?_' She glanced over at Naruto in minor jealousy but raised an eyebrow when he didn't even seem to care that the two were wearing little more than underwear.

Moukaku stepped forward with her chakram in hand and said, "So, you're the Demon of Nanyo we've been hearing about, huh? You were pretty famous even before your recent string of ass whippings. Hope in our fight you're just as skillful, dumbass."

Naruto merely sneered and said, "Guess there's only one way to find out."

Moukaku smirked and said, "Right."

The fight's referee raised his hand and said, "Both toushi ready?"

Moukaku and Naruto nodded and the referee made the start motion and shouted, "Begin!"

This time Naruto started the battle by simply vanishing from view.

Moukaku blinked twice then tilted her head. Then, in an instant, she spun on her heel and brought up her chakram to block a three pronged kunai aimed for her throat. She winced as she was pushed back by the force alone. After the force subsided, she pulled back and attempted a wide horizontal swing but Naruto was gone even before she swung and then Moukaku grimaced as an immense pressure buried itself in her abdomen, sending her hurtling into the stone wall around the school.

Naruto stood calmly with his left fist barely extended.

Moukaku stood up covered in dirt and spat blood from her mouth with a smirk. "Wow, this really is entertaining. I just might lose this one, dumbass."

Naruto merely narrowed his eyes and vanished again.

Moukaku surged chakra through her limbs and tensed her body as Naruto reappeared and slammed a punch at her that she managed to grab with her free left hand. She bit her lip in a silent shout as she felt pain surge through her left arm from the sheer force, glad she reinforced her arm as the strike would have normally broken it like cheap styrofoam. Using more chakra in her hand she clenched around the blonde's with a smirk and said, "Got you now, dumbass."

She reared back her right hand, which held her chakram and then lunged forward, attempting to smash his face in. He retaliated by surging lightning chakra through his body, transferring it to Moukaku's, acting like a full body taser.

She released his hand and fell to her knees as her body released light amounts of steam from the electricity.

Naruto looked down at her coldly and said, "Surrender and this will end."

Moukaku frowned as she stood shakily and said, "Sorry. Nanban will rule Kanto someday, so we can't afford to surrender, even if it means knocking on death's door. That's our goal and we will pursue it to the end."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her conviction, it was a lofty and near unattainable goal. He sighed and said, "Well unfortunately we can't afford to lose either, so it seems death or surrender are your only options."

Moukaku responded by coursing chakra through her limbs again and charging at Naruto at high speeds, an even faster rate than Taishiji had.

She attempted to circle around to slice his head open but by the time her hit struck home she was hitting open air. She then experienced something she couldn't explain. Her body was hoisted into the air by some unseen force several yards, before whatever the force was released and she came crashing back down; right on to Naruto's raised fist.

Her shock combined with her aerial position left no ability to dodge as she smashed into his fist with a high speed, resulting in a sickening crunch as her ribs buckled as she coughed up blood onto the ground, her chakram falling helplessly to the ground.

Naruto sighed as he felt her go limp and was about to drop her when she got a sudden burst of strength as she used the last of her chakra, condensed into a ball, and attempted to plant it in Naruto as a bomb.

He grit his teeth as he realized there was only one way to end this. He tossed her against the ground, causing her to cough up more blood as her chakra bomb dropped uselessly nearby and dispersed. Naruto then acted quickly as she attempted to get up. He surged chakra through his left arm and condensed it in his fist. He then slammed his fist down onto her still prone body, releasing the condensed chakra in a burst.

The result was a massive dust cloud and debris flying out.

Mouyu looked into the cloud and shouted, "MOUKAKU!"

As the dust cleared, Naruto stood with his left hand dripping in blood; next to him the lifeless body of Moukaku lying in a small crater.

Even after seeing his other shows of force, his teammates were unprepared for that. For that level of sheer force and brutality. Myousai felt Naruto getting farther away as his sheer power seemed to increase daily as the tournament dragged on.

Naruto looked over to Mouyu and asked, "Well?"

Mouyu bit her lip and spat out, "I'm ambitious, not foolish. With Moukaku…dead we can no longer pursue our ambitions. I see no point in further competition."

Naruto nodded and asked, "Then you forfeit?"

Mouyu nodded slowly.

"I'm glad," Naruto said plainly as he walked away.

"Winner is Nanyo!" the referee declared hurriedly and took off as Naruto neared him.

Mouyu blinked in confusion at his words as he left, before looking back to Moukaku, and then began to tremble.

* * *

Their next match a few days later was with a smaller school with a full five toushi team. By that time, word of his skills forcing Nanban to surrender had spread widely, causing many schools to drop out. A few, such as the one they faced currently, however were ambitious enough to try it.

Of course they weren't brave enough to fight him fairly and instead charged him with all five of their toushi. Their team consisted of a male leader with short brown hair, a girl with long white hair using a katana, another older girl with waist length black hair wielding a kanabo with spiked studs, a male with short grey hair fighting with iron knuckles and a last male member with shoulder length black hair that fought bare-handed.

Hakufu watched as all five filed in and shouted, "Hey, that's not fair! You can't do five against one!"

"Quiet Sonsaku, this will simply allow me to end this more swiftly," Naruto barked.

Hakufu grumbled but remained quiet all the same.

The referee sweat nervously and said, "I-is everyone ready?" All the toushi nodded and the ref said, "Begin!" and backed away.

The two girls with weapons charged first at surprising speed.

Naruto merely sighed and spoke to Ryuujin, '_I'm tired of still holding back. I'm going to use my ninjutsu and put an end to this fight, as I will continue to do._'

Ryuujin nodded with a smirk as he saw his entertainment increasing.

A moment later there were two puffs of smoke beside Naruto, and out of them ran two copies of Naruto himself.

"What the!" Ryomou shouted in disbelief as the two charging girls stopped.

One of the clones ran up to the kanabo wielder and slapped a hand on her stomach as a light shone momentarily, and then pushed her against her comrade, toppling both to the ground.

The two clones proceeded to run past them and toward the remaining group, jumped high in the air, eliciting further gasps, before tossing two tri-pronged kunai each, the weapons burying themselves in the ground around the bewildered toushi.

The group then watched in mixed confusion and horror as the girl Naruto's clone touched began to writhe as a light on her stomach shone brightly, right before she exploded in a fiery inferno, killing both herself and her comrade.

Taking advantage of the shock Naruto flashed to one of the four kunai within the group, giving them just enough time register his presence before he grabbed the heads of two of them, energy sparking from his hands as multiple holes burst in their skulls as their liquefied brain matter shot out.

The last member froze in terror as Naruto dispatched him with a simple slash to the neck.

Naruto stood over his opponents, his face stoic as a single unbidden tear fell down his face.

His team were in shock to say the least. They too moved away in fear as Naruto approached.

Seeing this he sighed and said, "I simply need to end these fights swiftly."

His teammates stared him down unwaveringly as he simply continued walking.

* * *

Toutaku sat in his greenhouse, his eyes widened even further. He quickly realized something, kidnapping Naruto's parents to elicit entertainment was a fatal mistake. Naruto wasn't being so cruel and violent to end the matches quickly or convince other schools to drop out; he was sending a message to Toutaku, "Expect this to be your end."

Toutaku sweat profusely and swallowed nervously as he said, "Ouin…I believe we may have made a tactical error."

Ouin nodded slowly in agreement before attempting swallow with his nervously dry throat.

* * *

The next day when Nanyo had their next opponent it had been reported that even more schools had dropped from the tournament. Toutaku had also added a new rule to the competitions, a school may have its entire army of toushi compete if the battle happens on their grounds, which is exactly what happened with Nanyo's next opponent, a small school from the eastern edge of Kanto.

The Nanyo team arrived, one member cool as ice and the others in worry. They were standing at an opposing school's front gates with a mass of thirty toushi waiting inside, all different ranks and appearances, ready to attack Naruto at once to show the school's power.

Naruto however, saw the perfect chance to display something he'd been wanting to make great use of for a while, his father's most famous jutsus.

The referee looked from side to side and said fearfully, "You know what, just begin when you're ready, I'm hiding."

The opposing school took that cue and charged at Naruto. Naruto narrowed his eyes and stuck out his right hand. Two bursts of smoke appeared and two shadow clones rushed out. The leapt into the sky high above the mass of students as kunai rushed out of their sleeves and into their hands. One on each finger by the ring and one between each finger by the handle for a total of eighteen kunai per clone. They then crossed their arms and hurled the mass of kunai in a wide pattern and shouted, "Shadow Kunai Jutsu!" in unison. The hail of thirty-six kunai erupted into a cloud of one hundred and eighty kunai.

The toushi could only watch in horror as the cloud of metal fell upon them, many impaling the ground harmlessly but just as many hitting the toushi; heads, arms, legs, torsos not a single body part was spared as half the toushi were hit by kunai, a third of those in vital areas as they fell over lifelessly.

Ryomou and the others could barely stand to watch as this massacre happened, and something told them it wasn't even over yet as the airborne clones dispelled.

Naruto clenched his fists in anger as he mumbled, "I'm sorry."

* * *

Toutaku watched from his television as his entire body froze once again as he knew the massacre that was about to be unleashed.

* * *

Naruto vanished in a yellow flash.

He reappeared behind one student and smashed a Rasengan into his head, collapsing it and killing him. He flashed to another kunai and took out three students with a wide horizontal chop of his wind chakra encased hand, slitting their throats. He reappeared in another group and shouted, "Leaf Whirlwind!" as his aerial body spun in a high kick, hitting all four of the students.

Outside, the Nanyo team watched as the yellow flashes appeared in the midst of the seemingly frozen students, one in a corner, then the middle, the another corner followed by two flashes simultaneously then three until the area was alight in a chorus of yellow flashes of energy that grew in number and intensity until they all stopped suddenly and Naruto appeared in front of the group with his left hand raised with a Raijin kunai in it, his right hand planted on the ground with his torso bent forward and his legs wide.

Then the entire group of toushi contorted and twisted and fell as massive jets of blood and tissue shot in all directions in a veritable explosion, the whole group lying in a messy pool of death, not a single one coming out alive.

Myousai fell to her knees as Ryomou covered her mouth and Hakufu buried her head in Koukin's shoulder. Koukin grit his teeth and said, "An entire school at once…just what are you?"

Naruto walked by and said with a weak chuckle, "At this point, I'm a monster."

Naruto walked by his teammates, his visage covered in sprays of blood as he vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

In Toutaku's lair, Ouin stood stock still as he realized he and Toutaku just picked a fight with something no less than a god. Toutaku himself smashed the television and shouted, "NO! HOW CAN HE BE THIS STRONG!?" He breathed heavily as his body heaved before he shouted to the sky. He then became still and slumped backwards onto his ankles and began chuckling insanely. His chuckling then turned to full-blown laughter as his body shook from the sheer force of his laughter. After several moments he calmed down and muttered, "Yes…I will become strong enough, I only need him to come here and I will become immortal."

He continued to chuckle maniacally as his servants plus Ouin simply watched from the side, Ouin with a smirk on his face and his eyes shifting.

* * *

Naruto walked back to his house and over to the living room couch where he slumped down holding his head in his hands. He growled and then said, "I hate this. Just to get that bastard to come out I need to kill so many people, this kind of mess is what I was hoping to avoid."

The space next to him darkened and Ryu appeared in his armor and said, "Sorry kid, I didn't expect that he would be that brazen."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair and said, "Yeah, but I should have. I should have expected he would do this, and now my parents are captive and I'm whittling down the toushi population. As soon as this is finished I'm going to kill both Ouin and that bastard. I hate having to kill all these people to get there."

Ryu tilted his head and asked, "Then why are you?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Because, if those two don't realize that I'm a threat. If they don't then they might still kill my parents."

Ryu nodded and said, "Well, if it helps I may be able to store up enough mana to exist in this realm to help."

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, giving me your chakra is more important."

"Right, then I'll head back to my dimension and help you later," Ryu said as he faded away.

Naruto sighed and said, "I hope you're ready you snake."

* * *

Naruto awoke the next morning to see that Myousai still hadn't returned. He sighed and thought, '_Well, it's probably best she stays with Sonsaku and the others._'

Going over to his computer he checked on who he would be fighting that day and narrowed his eyes. It said that day was Nanyo Academy vs. Seito Academy. Which meant he would encounter both Ryuubi and Kanu again. He wasn't thrilled with that idea.

* * *

Arriving at Nanyo to join his team, he saw them eyeing him worriedly. He flinched at the expressions, even from Myousai. He clenched his fists and asked, "I suppose you all hate me, don't you?"

They all frowned in response before Hakufu gave a small smile and said, "I don't hate you, I just wish you didn't hurt those people so much. I don't like to kill people when I fight. But all those powers you use are so awesome."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Fear isn't necessarily what I feel, I'm just not used to seeing such a massacre. I simply wish you would have told us that you were so powerful," Ryomou said.

Myousai frowned the deepest and said, "I'm mad."

Naruto frowned in response but raised an eyebrow as Myousai came over and placed a hand on his cheek.

She then said, "I'm mad you hid such power from me and the others, but I'm also glad you are so strong. I know you, you have your reasons for hiding it but I wish you would have told me at least. Although I can't say I'm happy that you've killed so many."

Naruto sighed and said, "I don't want to, but I need Toutaku and Ouin to fear me, I need them to know that what they've been doing is unacceptable. I still can't explain what that means exactly but just know that I'm doing all this so that when we do finally fight against Rakuyo, they know that we will beat them and topple their power base."

"That's quite the goal," a voice said.

Naruto turned and came face to face with the person he least wanted to see that day, Kanu Unchou. He grit his teeth and asked, "Why exactly are you here Unchou? Our battle isn't taking place at Nanyo."

Kanu nodded and said, "Yes, I know. However, I came to speak, with you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why would you need to do that?"

Kanu narrowed her eyes and said, "It's about the battle, I wish to speak to you about it, and to show that I've come alone and unarmed."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and used his senses to look into her person and saw that she truly had no weapons and her chakra was calm. He nodded and said, "Follow me."

She nodded as well and followed him to the school's roof.

* * *

The two arrived atop the school building, Naruto walked over to the fence and asked, "So, why did you need to talk?"

Kanu nodded and said, "Right. I, along with the rest of Kanto, have heard about what you've done in your battles during the tournament."

Naruto sighed and said, "I see. So, what does this have to do with that?"

"I don't want Gentoku getting involved with this. I want her to stay safe from that kind of thing. I don't want Gentoku to get hurt having to fight you," Kanu said, her expression pleading, something that struck the immortal blonde as unexpected.

A moment later he dissected her words and asked with narrowed eyes, "Are you asking Nanyo to surrender so Gentoku Ryuubi doesn't get hurt or killed?"

Kanu chuckled and said, "No, I wouldn't wish for even your school to go down without a fight like cowards. No, what I am asking is to make me your opponent. I will fight you by myself for Seito; me and me alone."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you certain? You still have the energetic one plus what I assume are at least two other toushi."

Nodding she replied, "Yes, that is true. We still have Ekitoku along with Choun and Bachou. However, if the four of us tried to go and fight you, Gentoku would put herself in harm's way for our sakes. If I go by myself I can leave quietly without her and fight you alone without her or the others getting involved."

Naruto sighed and scratched his head and said, "That's a big load, you're putting the fate of your school in your hands only. That means you lose just once and it's over for the tournament. Are you certain you wish to risk that?"

Kanu nodded and said, "Yes. Gentoku is my school's leader and it is my duty to protect her."

Naruto smirked and said, "I admire your will. Alright, meet me later at the battleground that was set and we will fight each other one on one, the fates of both our schools in the balance for this."

Kanu nodded assuredly and turned to leave the Nanyo grounds and prepare for her battle with Naruto.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the base of Nanyo as Kanu left and Koukin asked, "What exactly was that about?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Put simply she wants this coming battle to be one on one, her and me only. None of her teammates in the battle and none of you. You guys can come but even if I lose you won't pitch in."

"Wait, you're going to take up Nanyo's fate on your own?" Ryomou asked accusingly.

Naruto nodded and said, "Yes, she is taking the fate of Seito in her own hands. I wish to extend the same courtesy. I know it may seem odd but, I'm going to handle it this way."

The four shared worried expressions before Myousai stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, we don't think you'll lose. Plus there really isn't much we could do to stop you."

Naruto nodded and said, "Thank you, I appreciate that you guys still have some amount of trust in me despite everything I've done."

Myousai nodded and Hakufu ran over and enveloped him in a hug saying, "Aww, you might be super freakily scary strong but you're still Naruto."

Naruto blinked in curiosity before giving a soft smile and said, "Thanks Sonsaku."

Hakufu then tapped his head with her fist and said, "It's Hakufu."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Right. Well…I'm going to go take care of this now."

His teammates nodded as he left.

* * *

A few hours later, Kanu left the front gate of Seito Academy with her Blue Dragon Crescent Blade in hand. She turned back to the gate with a somber expression and mumbled, "I'm sorry Gentoku."

After Kanu left, Ryuubi wandered around the school looking around in confusion. She then found Chouhi and shouted, "Heeyy, Chouhi!"

Chouhi turned and said, "Geez Gentoku, you don't need to be so loud. What do you need anyway?"

Running up to her Ryuubi said, "I can't find Kanu, do you know where she is?"

Chouhi cupped a hand on her chin and said, "Now that you mention it, I don't. Chouun might, let's go find her."

Gentoku nodded right before a calm voice said, "Looking for Kanu Unchou will be fruitless."

The two turned to see a beautiful young woman with a large bosom with long, waist length silver hair in a jagged hime cut with her eyes seemingly permanently closed wearing a tight fitting brown blouse with red stripes extending down the front with two rows of red buttons going down the middle in between the stripes overtop a white short-sleeved shirt with rolled up cuffs at her biceps along with a short, dark brown pleated skirt with two red lines near the bottom, a red bow on her collar, white fingerless gloves and holding a long katana with a black hilt wound in yellow fabric.

"Ah, Chouun…wait what do you mean it's fruitless to look for her?" Ryuubi asked.

The now identified Chouun said, "It's because Kanu is not here."

"Why, where'd she go?" Chouhi asked.

"To face Nanyo's top toushi alone," Chouun said flatly.

"WHAT!?" Chouhi shrieked.

Chouun nodded and said, "Yes, she wishes to face him by herself so that we are not involved with what would certainly be a fruitless suicide battle."

"How can you say that so calmly!?" Chouhi shouted.

"Because there is nothing we can do to stop her. Plus, I think she is aware of the situation surrounding Uzumaki," Chouun replied.

Ryuubi tilted her head and asked, "Situation surrounding him?"

With a nod Chouun responded, "Yes. While I can't confirm the information, it is rumored that Chuuei Toutako is blackmailing Uzumaki by holding his family captive; and that should he lose they will die."

"That's horrible, why would he do that?!" Ryuubi shouted indignantly.

Chouun shook her head and said, "I'm not certain. However I would assume it is for his own entertainment, to see how far someone will go when everything is put at stake based on their ability to win a fight."

Ryuubi scowled under her glasses and said worried, "But…Naruto's gotten so strong now. He took out an entire school by himself, and the last time they fought Kanu lost to him."

Chouun frowned and added, "I don't think Uzumaki has _gotten_ this strong. I believe he's always been this strong from the beginning and was simply holding back. Although it seems not displaying his true power has backfired as his enemy has become too brazen."

Ryuubi moaned and said, "We have to go find Kanu, I don't want her to get hurt or…or…or worse by fighting him. But I also don't want Naruto's family to die because of us, that's just too horrible."

"So you would deprive Kanu of her fight?" Chouun asked.

"Of course! It doesn't matter who wins this fight everyone loses! If we win Naruto's family will get hurt and if he wins Kanu will get hurt," Ryuubi said lowly.

Chouun walked toward her and said, "Unfortunately you are Seito's leader, as such decisions like this where there is no positive outcome will need to be made at times. And sadly there is no option that work for everyone's benefit for even if you were to cancel the fight by convincing Kanu to step down you would destroy her will as a toushi. So in this case all you can do is sit back and see how it unfolds."

Tears began falling from Ryuubi's eyes before she took off in a run.

"Gentoku!" Chouhi called. She growled and then said, "Chouun, come on!"

Chouun nodded and followed the short-haired toushi.

* * *

Kanu arrived at the roof of an abandoned school in the northern Kanto area, with a wide fenced in area. At one side was the referee, standing nervously. At the other end was Naruto leaning up against the fence with his arms crossed and a somber expression.

Kanu steeled herself and walked forward, removing the cloth from her blade. She then said, "I've seen that large blade you possess, I wish you to use."

Naruto peered at her from under his bangs on his lowered face and worried his lower lip before sticking out his right arm, at which point a ball of smoke erupted from his palm and extended outward in a long shape, clearing to reveal the Executioner's Blade, his massive blade with the holes at the base and end.

Kanu looked at him and said, "This battle will be between us with no outside interference or involvement, whoever wins here will take the win for their school. Is that acceptable ref?"

The referee nodded and asked, "Both toushi ready?"

* * *

Running down a long road, Ryuubi ran towards the designated spot for the battle between Nanyo and Seito with Chouun and Chouhi directly behind her.

* * *

Both Naruto and Kanu nodded. The referee gave a final nod and made a chopping motion and said, "Begin!" He then ran off to a corner like a frightened child.

Naruto and Kanu stood motionless for several seconds before Kanu readied her spear and Naruto blasted off with a surge of chakra from his feet.

Kanu reacted instantly by diving to the side, barely missing his horizontal slice that would have chopped her in half.

Naruto spun on his heel and charged with a vertical slice that Kanu blocked. This proved ineffective as she was still knocked from her stable crouching position onto her back, rolling away before the blade crashed down, embedding itself several inches in the concrete and leaving many cracks along with small chunks thrown out.

Seeing a chance she spun up from her roll and lashed out with a jab.

A shadow clone instantly appeared in a burst of smoke, grabbed her blade by the dragon head and further down the staff and hoisted Kanu overhead and back before the original Naruto slammed a kick into her abdomen as she came down, sending her flying into a wall, and then straight through said wall.

Naruto effortlessly freed his blade from the concrete and began walking over to Kanu. However she shot out at a high rate of speed, ramming the tip of her spear into the flat edge of the Executioner's Blade that Naruto brought up to block. He was quite surprised when she struck with enough force to slide him back, but he responded instantly.

He flipped the blade ninety degrees at the handle, knocking Kanu off balance, he then spun on his left foot and sent his right heel at her head.

Kanu brought up her right hand to block and was thrown aside, this time into the fence, though she was thankful not through.

As she brought herself into a standing position Naruto examined her chakra network and saw that she was utilizing the same ability as Taishiji, reinforcing and strengthening her muscles with huge amounts of flowing chakra, and then backing that up by reinforcing her bones against the strain. Instead of making him happy, this made Naruto sad because it meant that she was powerful enough that killing her would be the only way to end the battle, something he desperately wanted to avoid.

* * *

On the road, Ryuubi and the others turned a corner and continued running. Ryuubi frowned and thought, '_Come on Kanu, be alright, we're almost there._'

* * *

Kanu sighed as she steadied herself again and then took off at Naruto.

Naruto responded by trying to convince her of his power. He aimed his open right palm at her and right as she neared him, she thrown aside by an invisible force, and skidded along the ground.

Collecting herself from the surprise she charged back in, this time in a weaving pattern.

It was futile as when she got just within striking distance Naruto stuck out his hand again, utilizing one of the ryugan's special abilities, gravity manipulation, and hurled her up in the air.

Kanu gasped as she was thrown straight up. She then focused as she saw the perfect striking position and aimed her blade down and, using wind chakra that she had unknowingly trained herself to use, pushed off down at Naruto, encasing her blade in wind chakra as well, sharpening it to an incredible degree.

Naruto merely sighed and as she neared him stuck his hand up as her blade was mere inches above his hand, halting her fall instantly, eliciting an expression of shock from her.

Her eyes wide she asked breathlessly, "You…just what are you?"

Naruto stared at her calmly and said, "I have many names. But if you wish to assign me an identity befitting my actions, then call me Pain." He proceeded to move his arm down to a horizontal position, throwing Kanu aside at the same time, slamming her into the chain link fence hard enough to bow it outwards a great degree.

She spat out the blood from the impact and slammed the head of her blade at the fence, surged chakra from her feet and enhanced her leg strength with chakra. This all culminated in her nearly vanishing as she shot forward.

Naruto stayed in his spot didn't make to move, allowing Kanu to harmlessly pass through him with Kamui, causing her swift takeoff to send her crashing into the stairwell behind them, through the wall and then through the wall on the other side rolling and smashing against the roof as she did, her blade thrown away from her.

Naruto jumped and back flipped to her position, landing beside her.

She lay on the floor, holding up her upper body as her clothes were tattered, revealing much of her body, and she was covered in scrapes and trails of blood. She stood shakily and used her left arm to wipe the blood from her chin, as she impacted the walls using her left as a brace, nearly destroying the bones in her arm, leaving a mangled and twisted mess.

Naruto gave her a pleading look and said, "Listen, Kanu, you need to surrender. Your body is battered and your left arm is destroyed. If you continue this then you will die, but if you stop I can repair the damage."

Kanu gave a light chuckle before grabbing at her broken ribs and said weakly, "I appreciate your concern Uzumaki, I do. You see, I came here knowing that I would lose for certain but die possibly. I came here to fight you, not only to protect Gentoku and the others, but as a testament. If you fight and defeat me in a fair, one on one battle, then Toutaku will know that your power is truly beyond any other toushi in existence. And if he's smart, he will…release them. But this point will only be proven if you defeat me."

Naruto's eyes shot wide and his blood ran cold, "H-how did…"

"Did I know? I have connections all throughout Kanto Uzumaki. You don't become so famously known as 'Kanu the Undefeated' and not form some kind of network of contacts. I simply discovered haphazardly about your situation with your family. I also saw your insane level of power. But I know Toutaku, he will only understand that level of strength when compared to a famous toushi many considered powerful. It may be flaunting my title, however I knew two things: defeating you, even if it was all of us against you, would be unlikely, and that even if we did win it would cost you the lives of your family, and I refuse to be the bearer of that curse towards you. So forced Ryuubi and the others out of the fight so that Toutaku would see our one on one fight and come to truly understand your strength. Then, you could win this tournament and go to Rakuyo and kill him, ending all of this. That way you could save your family and prevent this from happening ever again."

Naruto's body was frozen in place and his face contorted in disbelief. He then asked in shock, "Why? Why do all of this? I'm not from your school, I have no affiliation to your school."

Standing shakily and grabbing her cracked blade with her working arm she chuckled and said, "But you do. Ever since our first fight so long ago, I came to realize how far I had to go and took your skill as my level to reach, feeling myself get closer every day. You were the measure by which I gauged my own strength. But each time I had thought I was even with you, you would go out and perform some other great feat that proved me wrong. Then, you appeared at Seito that one day, sending yourself to the heart of an enemy school, and risking having to fight us, even though it seems now that wasn't much of a risk for you. And to top it all off, you helped the leader of our school, a rival school to Nanyo, not seeming to expect anything in return, and did all of that for the sake of a friend. And it proved to me how many ways I fell behind you. So I trained my body to the brink of destruction for the time when we would face off." Kanu paused as she looked to the sky in thought and said with a small smile, "Then, I heard about your actions with the other schools and how overwhelmingly powerful you seemed to have become, and how violent you seemed to be. That alone told me something was off, I remember that the feeling I got from you during all of our confrontations was nothing truly malicious and evil." She then looked back to him with a soft smile and said, "Even now I felt no evil intent in your strikes during our battle. And then I discovered the rumor of your family and it made those things fit together. You weren't doing such violent things because you enjoyed the death, no you did those things because you had to ensure your own victory. Since I realized all of that before our battle I decided that I could at least help you, heh, since it seems that even Gentoku has become quite enamored with you. That I could help you make your way to Toutaku, and hope that hearing of your defeat of me on your own will whittle down the competition."

Naruto by this point had gone from shocked to awed, his eyes pouring tears.

Kanu raised her blade one more time, a smile on her face as she said, "Let's finish this."

Naruto bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed and stuck out his left hand and whispered, "Please forgive me."

Naruto and Kanu made one last charge at each other.

At that exact moment, Ryuubi and the others reached the top of the stairs and turned to see Kanu's condition and their last charge.

"NO!" Ryuubi cried.

Naruto and Kanu charged, Kanu a smile on her face and Naruto's filled with agony, his lip bleeding and eyes streaming as Kanu's blade was knocked off course by the Executioner's Blade and Naruto planted his hand on her side, then tugged with the ryugan.

As he did a purple, humanoid energy mass was pulled from her body and absorbed into Naruto's hand.

Both Kanu and Naruto came a standing stop, Naruto facing the wall and Kanu facing the stairs where her comrades were, still smiling as her skin paled and her eyes faded. Her blade then dropped with a clack as she wavered before falling backwards.

Unchou Kanu was dead.

Ryuubi screamed in agony as rain began to fall and Naruto gripped his sword and clenched his fist until they bled, gritting his teeth to the same point.

"You bastard!" Chouhi cried.

Naruto turned to the voice as Chouhi slammed her fist into his face, sending him falling and sliding along the ground.

Chouhi panted heavily before looking back at Kanu and falling to her knees.

Ryuubi merely held Kanu in her arm as the rain fell.

* * *

Toutaku sat in his room, both he and Ouin, who was the only one present, wearing matching expressions of shock.

Ouin then sighed and said, "Well, I don't think this is going to end well. Shall I go eliminate him, my lord?"

Toutaku nodded slowly and said, "Yes. Take him down but do not kill him. I need him for my technique."

Ouin departed the greenhouse, his normally dark grey eyes now red with three tomoe.

Toutaku sat with his face placid, his eyes flashing to yellow with slitted pupils before returning to normal as he said, "Well, it seems this is going to get annoying fast.

* * *

**And scene. Well that certainly _was_ dark wasn't it. And in case some of you aren't quite convinced, both Moukaku and Kanu are in fact actually dead. I hope that this chapter satisfied those readers who seemed to think Naruto was being too weak. Either way, that ends this chapter and there should only be one or two more before this fic is over.**

**Aside from that I just posted up the first chapter to a new story entitled Naruto: Rise of the True Phoenix Dragon, a Naruto High School DxD crossover. I also want to take this chance to clarify something, and to thank SHONENJUMP Guy who is both my coauthor and the one that requested I do this. It has inspired me to write what I am calling the Ryuujin Saga. It is composed of this story along with Naruto: Mobile Warfare Beyond Dimensions as well as any stories I have set within the eighteen hundred year gap between the end of the Naruto canon and this story, of which Rise is one of them. I will have several stories that take place in this saga, so understand that these stories will share elements and plot events as each one is generally the same in initial set up. Ryuujin senses a fragment of Naruto's world in another dimension and then drops Naruto there so he can find it and destroy it. And by fragment I mean a character or weapon from his world has ended up in this other world and Naruto must go there and eliminate it. This is the one story that is exempt from that main formula as it is one of the bookends to the Ryuujin Saga, and MWBD (Mobile Warfare Beyond Dimensions) is the final story in the saga, taking place after the penultimate end of this story. I simply felt the need to explain this because several people have reviewed Rise talking about things and subjects that are explained by it basically being a prequel to Chains of Destiny by several hundred years. **

**With that out of the way why don't those of you interested check it out and tell me what you think. Also don't forget to tell me what you think of this story and specifically this chapter in a review of this story.**


	12. Final Round

Chapter XII

**Hello people! I can see that the last couple chapters have been rather derisive, good. This chapter is also going to be as such, and it is also the last chapter for this story. The story isn't over however as I will cover the events that would essentially occur in Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny in a separate story. Unfortunately I don't plan on working on that story until I finish my newest story, Naruto: Rise of the True Phoenix Dragon, which has just started and will likely be quite a long tale so I doubt the second part of Chains of Destiny will begin for quite a while. But I hope the events of this chapter are sufficient until then and if you're really bored, I always have other stories you can investigate, so there's that. As always I want to thank my coauthor, who I think I may have actually forgotten to mention in the last couple chapters, SHONENJUMP Guy, who is actually the person who gave me the idea for this story which has spawned an entire saga of planned stories that will take place during the two thousand year period. So if you happen to see anything from a specific other anime it is likely that means Naruto will go the world it is from at some point in one of my stories. I just want to warn everyone that a whole lot happens in this chapter and some events may seem glossed over, I had tried to avoid that but I wasn't really interested in writing a sixteen thousand word chapter and there simply wouldn't have been enough content for a whole other chapter so a compromise had to be reached. I also want to mention one thing, Naruto has Ryuujin's eyes, the ryugan. It contains all of the abilities of the byakugan, sharingan and the rinnegan.**

**Well, I think that's everything I need to mention so let's get to the reviewer responses, the last one for this story.**

**chm01: I didn't do anything on a whim so everything in this story has a purpose and a resolution, plus yes, Ryuubi will awaken her dragon, I'll just say that now.**

**Cerberus Kyuubi: Look at the last couple sentences of my big paragraph above.**

**Creepingdoom710: It's not ridiculous because even a true transformation can't copy someone's chakra signature. I will admit that I could've done better on how those around him are acting but I will say this, it doesn't really justify my screw ups but just explains them, the first season of Ikkitousen is my least favorite and I find it quite boring until the later stages. Again it doesn't justify my failures in the story but I'd just like you to know that this is my least favorite part of the series and I'm mainly trying to get to where things really get going which is Dragon Destiny.**

**5-digit: Not some, all abilities of the rinnegan. I appreciate your thought but why you stop reading, if you stop reading, is entirely up to you. I would prefer that you don't but I don't have mind control so all I can do is plead.**

**Jose19: If it gives you any hope she's my favorite as well.**

**Dinn: It will make sense as you read on, Toutaku isn't quite how you remember from the show, he's a little...different.**

**Slirith: Not sure if you'll see this but there is not a single Uchiha character in this story and I don't intend for there to ever be one.**

**Exalted-Demi Soul: You're not too far off there, the number is a little different but you're getting the idea.**

**Well, that's it for the responses. Like I said this is the final chapter so most of the big things will be wrapped up here and the set up for part two will be made. Just read to find out what is what.**

* * *

Naruto stood atop a roof in the Kanto region where he had just finished his one on one battle with Unchou Kanu. The rain fell hard as Gentoku Ryuubi sat holding her lifeless body in her arms, the other members of her school team around her.

Naruto stood across from them, his fists clenched in anger. '_I hope this is enough. If that bastard isn't so obsessed with obtaining my power that he's tripping over himself then nothing will do it,_' he thought as he hoped his long drawn out plan worked.

"_**And if it doesn't?**_**"** Ryuujin asked.

Naruto sighed and responded, '_Well then, I'll have to push the city's wellbeing aside and fight him one on one. Though with nearly two thousand years to build up his strength I imagine he won't be nearly as weak as any of these people. He may even be the absolute strongest person I've face at this point._'

"_**Please, you fought the damn king of vampires as well as an intergalactic super villain trying to turn Earth into a graveyard,**_**"** Ryuujin said.

Naruto chuckled weakly and replied, '_Yeah, maybe. But this guy has had nearly as much time to train as I have, although having you and _that_ thing on my side might make a difference_.' As he conversed with the dragon he gripped something in his pocket.

Chouhi scowled at Naruto and asked, "Why? Why did you…why did you have to kill her!?"

Naruto sighed and said, "It was going to end that way regardless. I attempted to convince her to stop, but she refused even when I broke her right arm."

Chouhi glared and was about to shout again when Ryuubi stood up, her face hidden by her bangs. She looked at her and said, "G-Gentoku?"

Ryuubi looked at Naruto, tears streaming from her eyes as they began to change.

"No, her dragon," Chouun said worried and rushed over to her.

Ryuubi stuck out her right hand and said with a growling voice, "Stay. Back, I will take care of him."

Naruto then saw the unfortunate fruits of his labor. He learned from the others that when a toushi's dragon came to life they were enveloped in a lighted aura and their eyes became slitted and filled with the same light. But Ryuubi's transformation was something more familiar to him.

Her eyes turned red with slitted pupils as her canines enlarge and her nails became long and sharpened as a cloud of red chakra formed around her.

Naruto sighed and said, "So, without his genjutsu manipulating them, the dragons' power manifests just like a normal tailed beast huh?" He stretched his neck and said, "I'm tired of this, I'm not going to fight you anymore."

The possessed Ryuubi snarled and said, "No, you will fight me and die." She then rushed at Naruto for the attack.

Naruto merely sighed and pointed his hand at Ryuubi as she approached. He clenched his fist and rushed at her, slamming into her abdomen.

Ryuubi passed out from the impact as her tailed beast chakra receded and was sent tumbling away.

The others from Seito saw this and charged Naruto.

He hissed and reached into his pouch and pulled out a small black sphere. He threw it on the ground, resulting in a large burst of smoke.

Chouun and Chouhi halted as the smoke cleared, revealing Naruto to be gone with a swirl in the air vanishing.

They snarled at his disappearance but refocused on Ryuubi and Kanu, anger turning to sadness.

* * *

At the top of Nanyo Academy, a small black circle appeared in the air. Then out of the circle a vortex appeared spreading out several feet as a figure swirled out of the circle feet first, becoming less distorted as it moved to the outer edges before a head finally appeared and the vortex receded, revealing Naruto standing atop the building. He walked over to the railing and gripped it with his hands, crumpling it like paper as he seethed in his anger. He only had one more battle before confronting Rakuyo, but he already wanted to rip Toutaku to ribbons. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over his shoulder, to see Myousai standing behind him.

He chuckled darkly and said, "What are you doing up here?"

Myousai squeezed his shoulder and said, "I should ask you the same thing. How did you get up here before me? Also…"

Naruto turned to look at her but regretted doing so as she buried her fist in his abdomen. He panted slightly as she backed away and said, "I'm certain I deserved that, but mind telling me why you hit me?"

She narrowed her eyes and said, "Because, you've been lying to everyone all this time about how powerful you are, which in itself is acceptable but not when there are periods in the past when not doing so would have helped us. And not only that, but you choose to reveal your strength by slaughtering people? Ever since the tournament began all you've done is slaughter everyone who has fought you."

Naruto sighed and leaned against the gate and said, "Call me stupid then, but bad things have happened in my life when I reveal my power. Most of the time it didn't when I kept it hidden. Plus I hope you can understand how the repercussions of revealing my power can make me a little apprehensive about revealing them."

Myousai frowned and walked over to him and got down on her knees and said, "But to hide it from even me? Why?"

Naruto hit himself internally as he saw the pained look in her eyes and looked away as he said, "I-I don't know. There's something else you need to know."

She looked at him expectantly, begging him to continue.

Sighing again he said, "I know something about Toutaku that few, if any, others know. I know that he is not Toutaku."

"What do you mean?" she asked puzzled.

Standing up he said, "I can't tell you everything yet, but just know I will tell you and the others as soon as this is over, and as soon as I fix this mess."

"Fix? How do you fix death?" Myousai asked in disbelief.

Naruto sighed and said, "Kou-chan, my abilities extend so far beyond what you've all witness during the tournament it's beyond laughable. I need to apologize because I've kept this all a secret because I had hoped that doing so would stop Toutaku from doing this. But it seems that he still did so regardless. So now I need to stop him."

Myousai frowned and asked, "How will this stop him?"

"I can't tell you just yet, let me take care of him after this is over and I'll explain everything," Naruto said as he walked away from the roof. He looked over to the side and said, "You guys can come on out now."

Romou, Hakufu and Koukin then walked out from behind the stairwell to the school, two of them looking guilty.

He sighed and said, "Well, our next match is tomorrow against Kyosho, you guys want part in it?"

Ryomou looked around and clenched her fists then said, "No, it'd be too risky for any of us to fight before you. It's best you get this over with quickly, but please, try not to kill anyone else. I don't think that's what we need."

Naruto nodded slowly and said, "I'll do my best, but that really depends on how resilient they are. But if when I face Kakouton is any hint then there shouldn't be much trouble."

Everyone nodded and moved from the rooftop, although they made sure to stay away from him.

* * *

Elsewhere, three people sat in a cathedral. They were Chuutatsu Shibai, the pink-haired tactician for Kyosho, Genjou Kakouton, Kyosho's second in command and Moutoku Sousou, Kyosho's leader.

They sat on the stage watching footage of Naruto's battles. After watching his battle with Unchou Kanu Kakouton swallowed nervously. He then looked at Sousou and said, "I want to go first in this, alright Moutoku?"

Moutoku merely shrugged and said, "Go ahead. But if you lose I'll be going next."

Genjou smirked and said, "I wouldn't expect anything less. But I don't plan on losing. I may have lost to this guy before but that was just because I was unprepared. The basics can beat even that fancy stuff."

"A _basic_ kick can't overpower a flamethrower," Chuutatsu snarked.

Genjou puffed out his cheeks and said, "I know that." He then flexed his arm and gripped his bicep with the other hand and said, "It doesn't matter though. My basic techniques and raw perseverance will get me victory."

Chuutatsu nodded and said, "I would hope Kakouton. A loss now would destroy our reputation."

He nodded and said mirthlessly, "I know Shibai. I know and that's why I won't lose."

Chuutatsu smiled and said, "Good. Now, go get Kakuka, this battle happens tomorrow so be ready."

* * *

In Rakuyo's greenhouse, Toutaku and Ouin sat in the garden looking over the footage from Naruto's battle.

Toutaku looked at Ouin and said, "He needs to win tomorrow. If Naruto loses then I will lose my chance at the best sacrifice I've had in centuries. I know you will assure his victory, Ouin."

Ouin bowed and said, "Yes my lord. Naruto Uzumaki shall be yours at all costs." Ouin turned on his heel and left the building. At the base of the hill he looked back and thought, '_He will be your dying trophy because it is _I_, Shishi Ouin who will become your successor. Not this person because I have served you faithfully, Lord Orochimaru._'

He then turned and walked over to a small house nearby, Ryofu's house. He walked up and knocked on the door.

Following the sound of shuffling, falling and swearing, the door opened to reveal Ryofu standing in the door in her nightwear rubbing her eyes with a welt on her forehead. She looked at Ouin and said, "Oh, Ouin it's you. What do you want?"

Ouin smirked and put his hands on her shoulders and said quietly, "I have a mission from Lord Toutaku that is very dangerous and will likely get me killed. I would like to spend the night before with the most important person in my world."

Ryofu looked at him flatly and asked, "Then why are you _here_?"

Ouin sighed and said, "Ahh, Ryofu, always so dense. You are the person most important to me."

Ryofu huffed and pushed his arms away and said, "Please, you've only ever used me. Why don't you go find someone more befitting your _tastes_?"

Ouin's smirk increased, something she recognized as him getting annoyed, and he said, "But you are the most fitting, Ryofu."

Ryofu huffed again and said, "Sorry, but I'm not open to someone like you."

Ouin's smirk began to fade as he asked, "Then who are you open to?"

She smirked sultrily and said, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Ouin's face leveled out and he said with a sigh, "Ryofu, I was hoping you would make this easy."

She looked at him curiously as his eyes shifted red and Ryofu began to feel limp and weak, before she realized what was going on and forced her right hand up into a half sign and said, "Release!" Ouin's hold on her was then immediately broken.

Ouin's eyes widened in surprise then narrowed in anger as he asked, "Who? Who taught you that?"

Ryofu simply ignored him and went to the back of the house.

Ouin rushed forward and grabbed her wrist and said, "Don't you-"

He was interrupted as Ryofu's fist slammed into his face. She looked at his downed figure with a scowl and said darkly, "Don't you _ever_ touch me again."

Ouin spat blood from his mouth and wiped his chin and said as he stood, "You're going to regret that, Housen Ryofu."

She turned around swiftly and said, "I don't have any regrets." She attempted to continue walking but Ouin grabbed her arm and threw her against the far wall.

He then rushed over and pinned her, snarling out, "And I don't get rejected."

Ryofu smirked and then inhaled and spat out a small cloud of purple gass.

Ouin stumbled backwards howling in pain and shouted, "You bitch! That was poison gas!" He looked out through his mildly burned face to see Ryofu gone. He snarled and ran deeper into the house.

* * *

Ryofu went into the room she and Chinkyuu shared and shook the brunette awake and said, "Chinkyuu, Chinkyuu wake up, we need to leave!"

Chinkyuu stirred awake and asked drowsily, "Oh, Ryofu, what's going on?"

Ryofu grabbed her shoulders and shook her harder than before and said, "Would you wake up already! We need to go!"

"Uhm, okay," Chinkyuu muttered.

* * *

The duo ran out of their shared room but stopped dead when they saw Ouin walking down the hall, his face frozen in angry.

Chinkyuu shuffled behind Ryofu and asked frightened, "W-what's going on Ryofu?"

Ryofu clenched her fists and said, "We're not exactly part of Rakuyo anymore. We need to get away from them."

Chinkyuu looked at her and asked, "And how will we do that?!"

Ryofu smirked annoyed and said, "Good question."

Ouin stopped and said, "I would suggest refraining from any ninjutsu, I can copy them completely."

"What?" Ryofu asked in disbelief.

Ouin closed his eyes and then reopened them to reveal the sharingan in both eyes.

Ryofu's eyes widened and she whispered, "Crap, this is bad."

Ouin narrowed his own eyes and asked, "Now, tell me. Who taught you all of this? I doubt it was Toutaku."

Ryofu grit her teeth and shouted, "Screw you!"

She then began to go through hand signs but was stopped when Ouin surged forward and said, "I warned you!" He then smashed a knee into her abdomen, sending both her and Chinkyuu tumbling.

Ryofu struggled to stand and said, "You, you won't stop us Ouin."

Ouin huffed and said, "You haven't much of a choice, Ryofu."

Ryofu smirked and curled her middle finger.

Ouin merely followed the shimmer of a wire as a large log fell his way. Without looking toward it he stuck out his hand, and as the log impacted his hand it shattered into thousands of shards. He looked at Ryofu and said, "I originally convinced Lord _Toutaku_ to keep you around because I found personal enjoyment out of your presence. But now you're a hindrance to our plans, and must be eliminated."

Ryofu could only stand frozen as she felt the chakra being released from him overpower her.

He got near and was about to strike when she lost focus and fell over.

Ouin snarled as he flew over the two girls.

* * *

Ryofu and Chinkyuu stood up and Ryofu said, "That was really stupid Chinkyuu, but thanks."

Chinkyuu nodded and said with a smile, "Of course. Now, let's get out of here."

The two then sprinted for the door, Ouin hot on their trail. He neared them and was immediately driven back by dual kicks to the abdomen.

Ryofu and Chinkyuu burst out the door and ran off of the Rakuyo property.

Above them Kaku watched annoyed as Ouin limped out of the building holding his abdomen in pain.

Narrowing her eyes she made her way to the greenhouse.

* * *

Naruto awoke the next morning to a low thudding noise. He cracked open his eyes and looked towards the one window in his room, his eyes shot wide as he saw Ryofu and Chinkyuu, both dirtied and scuffed.

He sighed and said, "I don't dare ask but, I've seen weirder." He walked over to the window and said, "Dare I ask why you two are-" he stopped as Chinkyuu and Ryofu climbed into his window but continued to say, "or just come in. That's cool."

Ryofu put her hands on her hips and turned confidently. Then slouched and put her hands together as she asked, "Can I ask a big favor?"

Naruto sighed heavily.

* * *

Naruto, Chinkyuu and Ryofu sat in Naruto's kitchen as he handed the two girls tea and said, "Do you even realize how stupid that was?"

Ryofu puffed her cheeks and said, "How was I supposed to know he'd have weird eyes?"

"It's called the sharingan," Naruto interrupted.

Ryofu blinked and asked, "You know what it is?"

He nodded and said, "There are a lot of things I know that you don't. But one I'd like to know if you know or not is where Toutaku has my parents."

Ryofu's expression soured and she shook her head and answered, "Sorry, can't say I do. You'd need to ask Ouin for that information."

Naruto's eyes narrowed darkly and he said, "I don't intend to ask."

"What does that mean?" Ryofu asked in confusion.

"It means nothing. I have a battle with Kyosho today so I need to get ready. I'll give and get explanations to all of this later. For now I'd like you two to stay here, it's safe here because I have a barrier that keeps anyone out that I don't allow," he told them.

Ryofu nodded and said, "Be careful, Ouin might be coming after you."

Naruto hissed and said, "I'm counting on it." He pointed to the living's room television and said, "That TV is linked to the battlenet, you should be able to watch the remainder of the tournament on it."

Ryofu nodded again as he made to leave but stopped him and grabbed his shoulders and said, "For good luck," then wrapped him in a kiss.

Naruto was surprised at first from recent events but returned the kiss, pulling away shortly and asked, "Why would you want me to have good luck?"

Ryofu chuckled and said, "I know about what you've been doing. But I also know that Toutaku is worse. He kills people without any real advantage to doing so, but I know you have a plan behind all of this madness. And if you don't…well then I'd be happy to jump into the pits of hell right beside you. I'm just glad I don't need to serve Toutaku anymore."

He frowned in response, but then smiled sadly and said, "Thanks Ryo-chan. I swear that there is a purpose behind all of this, and I'll fix this after I'm done. For now I need to get going so you guys just wait here."

The two girls nodded and Naruto walked out the door.

Ryofu's smirk turned to a frown as Chinkyuu asked, "Do you think he'll be alright?"

Ryofu chuckled and said, "Of course, with as much power as he's shown, with a lot more hidden beneath I'm certain he'll be fine."

* * *

Naruto arrived at the front gate of Nanyo Academy and took a breath, he wasn't expecting a warm arrival.

That was exactly what he got as he walked through the school, everyone looking down as he approached and moving aside to stay away from him.

* * *

He finally arrived at the classroom where his team was and walked over to them.

Myousai nodded and asked, "So, you're planning to take the lead as normal?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah, the quicker I can end this tournament the quicker I can end this mess. So let's head to the dock where we'll face them."

Everyone nodded and as he turned Hakufu tapped his shoulder and said, "Try to just have fun, 'kay?"

He blinked in confusion and then frowned and said, "With what I've done, I don't think fun battles are in my future."

Hakufu pouted but smiled and said, "All you need to do is forget what's happened and just have fun."

Naruto sighed and said mirthlessly, "I wish it was just that easy…now, let's get going."

Everyone nodded and left the room.

* * *

In Kyosho's front lot, a group was preparing to leave the school. Two of the group were Sousou and Kakouton.

The third was a young man with short, spiked dark blonde hair with two short bangs hanging down with dark amber eyes wearing a purple t-shirt with a white button down over it with dark green shorts.

The fourth was a very tall girl with short, dark green hair and light blue eyes wearing a blue sleeveless shirt with a high collar with a white border and a white number twelve printed on it right over her large bust, very short athletic shorts, cream colored arm bands on her elbows and white sneakers.

The final person was a young man with dark skin, short blonde hair and grey sunglasses with orange lenses over his pale blue eyes wearing a dark grey tracksuit.

Sousou turned and said, "Kakouton, Kakuka, Kyocho, Chouryou, are you ready to take down Nanyo?"

All four nodded and Chouryou, the dark skinned blonde, said, "Yes. Lady Shibai has ordered their termination, so I will do whatever it takes."

Kyocho, the tall girl, said, "Yes, Lord Sousou, I will aid you in defeating Nanyo's best toushi."

Kakuka gave a thumbs up and said, "Don't worry, those guys don't stand a chance against us."

Kakouton smirked and said, "I'll show them what the basics can do."

Sousou nodded with a smirk and said, "Then let's get moving."

* * *

On the oceanic edge of the Kanto region, a section of the loading docks were cordoned off as two groups of students approached a small open area in between two buildings.

The toushi from Nanyo Academy and Kyosho Academy arrived in their selected arena, preparing for the semifinals of the Big Fighters Tournament. The winner of that battle would be the school that fought Rakuyo for control of the Gyokuji.

As the ten students assembled in the arena, the referee began to sweat as Naruto and Sousou locked in a stare down. Eventually he coughed into his fist to get their attention and said shakily, "F-first match…is Naruto Uzumaki vs Genjou Kakouton."

Naruto and Genjou entered the makeshift arena. Genjou smirked and said, "Look at this, the first match is the one I've been waiting for. Our rematch."

Naruto stretched the muscles in his neck and said, "It won't be as long as last time."

Genjou scoffed and said, "You're right. Last time I was caught off guard. But this time I'm ready and I'll smash you to pieces. So get ready for your first loss, Demon of Nanyo."

Naruto sneered at the title and said, "Whatever. I don't have the choice to lose, there's simply too much at stake on my end. So fight me if you wish, but don't expect me to hold back."

Genjou got into a fighting stance and said, "I wouldn't want you to."

The referee swallowed nervously and began to tremulously raise his arm before he eventually ran off and said, "Screw this, just start when you're damn ready!"

Genjou blinked in confusion while Naruto merely sighed. Genjou took the first move and charged in while Naruto stood still. Genjou smirked and threw a punch at the blonde. He caught a gasp and rolled as he pass right through him. He turned from his crouching position to investigate but had a foot smash into his abdomen for his trouble, sending him flying across the arena; barely managing not to get knocked out of the makeshift ring.

He stood up slowly, coughing blood as he rose, and charged again. As he expected he passed through Naruto. He turned as Naruto threw a punch and grabbed it, saying with smirk, "Got you now!" He attempted to retaliate with his free hand but lost his balance when his hand gripping Naruto's wrist phased through.

Naruto took the moment to knee Genjou, sending him airborne. He looked down and said, "Well, this isn't good."

Naruto then raised his hand towards the airborne man, and then motioned his hand down.

Genjou's heart stopped as he felt something swiftly pull him to the ground. He made an X guard with his hands and reinforced it with a small amount of chakra as he slammed into the ground below.

Sousou narrowed his eyes while his teammates were wide-eyed, waiting for the dust to clear.

When it did, Genjou stood slowly, his clothing torn in several places and scrapes all over. He spat blood from his mouth and said annoyed, "You can't beat me with those super fancy moves. My mastery of the basics will help me win."

Naruto sighed and said, "If you're so proud of the basics, then I'll use nothing more than that, and rip you apart."

Genjou smirked and was about to respond when Naruto appeared behind him, his image in front of Genjou fading from the speed of his movement. Genjou turned slowly to look at Naruto, but before he could fully see him his body jolted as nearly every bone in his body broke and blood shot from the multitude of injuries on his body. He fell over on his face, unconscious from the pure agony.

Naruto sighed and said to Sousou, "I would suggest ending this now."

Sousou narrowed his eyes and asked, "And what would I gain for doing that?"

"I could prevent another death," Naruto said.

Sousou looked down at Genjou and said with a sigh, "My friend's life is more important than some damn tournament, but I will kill you if I see anything suspicious."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Everything I'm about to do is unusual. However I give you my word that if you surrender I will heal his wounds perfectly."

Sousou narrowed his eyes again and then nodded and looked at the referee and said, "Kyosho resigns."

The referee nodded weakly as Naruto went over to Kakouton and activated his healing jutsu, his hand being enveloped in a pulsating green light. He started at Kakouton's head and moved down slowly.

Myousai raised an eyebrow and said, "It's just like before, with Taishiji."

After moving over Genjou's feet Naruto placed both hands over his body and this time Genjou's entire body was enveloped in the green light.

Sousou and the others watched in amazement as Genjou's blood dried and vanished, his arms and other bones seemed to knit themselves back together and his other bodily wounds seemed to merely vanish. Sousou's eyes widened particularly and he thought, '_So, he has not only the power to destroy all those lives, but he has the ability to heal as well. Just what are you? I must have that power for myself._'

* * *

Inside Shibai's cathedral, Shibai watched the events on a television. As she did, a pair of curious eyes watched beside her, viewing the events in astonishment and confusion.

* * *

Naruto lifted his hands as the light died down. He stood up and Genjou began to twitch before seeming to wake up.

He lifted himself up and tested his limbs with a disbelieving look and asked, "Was it…a dream?"

"No, it was all real."

Genjou looked up to see Naruto standing over him and asked, "What did…"

"He healed the injuries he caused and saved your life. In return we forfeited," Sousou said.

"What!?" Genjou shouted. "Why would you do that Moutoku?! I wasn't able to beat him, but you might have!" Genjou shouted indignantly.

Sousou shook his head and said, "I'm powerful, but I've seen what he can do and I know that beating him would be near impossible. I made the decision that your life was more precious than a sliver of a possibility of victory."

"I think he made the right decision," Naruto added.

Genjou growled and said, "Of course you do, it means you win."

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, that's not what I mean. I mean that I believe the lives of your friends over victory is a wise move. I had to make the same decision in the past, I made the wrong choice and lost most everything around me. _That _is what I mean." Naruto then turned and walked away. He then turned to Sousou and said, "Sousou, remember this decision. Always remember to hold the lives of those closest to you above all else."

Sousou frowned in confusion but nodded as the blonde walked away.

Myousai raised an eyebrow and ran to his side and said, "I don't remember anything like that."

Naruto smirked and said, "Kou-chan, there is a lot about me that you don't know. But don't worry, after we finish this, I'll tell you everything."

Myousai nodded unsurely and asked, "So all that's left is the battle against Rakuyo?"

He nodded in return and walked away.

* * *

The Nanyo team walked away from the docks and stopped when a figure moved out from behind a building.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.

Standing before them was Shishi Ouin, his sharingan active.

Naruto frowned and said, "So, you _do_ have the sharingan. Just like I thought. You're the one that placed that mind wiping genjutsu on Ryo-chan along with the genjutsu that affected Mou-chan and Ryuubi's dragons."

Ouin chuckled and said, "Wooww, you're sharp. I can't imagine how you figured it out, I thought I disguised my sharingan effectively. Although it seems it doesn't matter."

Naruto snarled and said, "I can easily recognize the signature of a sharingan genjutsu. I also know one other thing, who Toutaku really is."

Ouin's eyes widened and then narrowed and he said angrily, "I see. Well, my lord said that I am to ensure you're arrival at Rakuyo…however, I want to see your death so I'm just going to kill you right here." His eyes then shifted. His sharingan changed from the basic red irises with three tomoe to a red iris with a wide black pupil with three thin points extending outwards.

Naruto hissed and said, "Mangekyo sharingan, huh. So, how advanced in it are you, Ouin?"

Ouin smirked and narrowed then widened his left eye.

Naruto caught this and immediately shouted, "Scatter!"

Responding immediately everyone jumped to the sides as the spot they previously inhabited burst into black flames.

"What is that?" Ryomou asked in shock.

Naruto cursed under his breath and said, "It's called Amaterasu, they're ever burning black flames that he can cast on anything just by looking at it."

Ouin grinned madly and said, "You're well versed in the abilities of the mangekyo sharingan aren't you?"

Naruto scowled and said, "I should be, after all I have them as well."

"What?" Ouin asked breathlessly.

Naruto looked to his side and smirked and said, "Yes. I have something that outweighs them in fact, the ryugan. It contains all of the capabilities of the three visual kekkei genkai, and all someone would need do is take my eyes to have it."

Ouin trembled with anger and shouted, "Shut up! I am his successor not you! I will kill you to become such!" He then charged at Naruto and threw several punches that the blonde dodge before spin-kicking Ouin in the gut, sending him into the building.

Naruto then raised his hand towards Ouin and contracted it, pulling the blonde towards him with the ryugan. As Ouin flew close Naruto clenched his fist, causing Ouin to slam into it.

Ouin coughed up blood as he smashed into his fist. He then looked at Naruto with a smirk and said, "Now it's time for THIS!" He widened his right eye and flowed chakra into it. His face contorted in confusion when Naruto remained unaffected.

Naruto smirked and said, "Sorry, that won't work, I'm beyond even the Tsukuyomi." He then moved his arm to the right and then curled back to the left, tossing Ouin.

Ouin stood up with a glower and shouted, "Amaterasu!" Naruto's body was then covered in black flames from head to toe.

Ouin then felt something behind him and turned to be kicked in the gut and sent crashing into the building behind him.

Naruto raised his right arm and clenched his fingers, drawing Ouin towards him before clenching his fist completely, slamming Ouin into it.

Ouin looked at Naruto and attempted to cast a Tsukuyomi.

Naruto merely smirked and tossed Ouin to the side.

Ouin scowled and shouted, "Amaterasu!" at which point Naruto was enveloped in black flames.

Ouin then gasped as a foot slammed into his side and sent him crashing into the building behind him.

Naruto stood opposite him and raised his hand.

* * *

Naruto and the rest of Nanyo's team stood in front of the kneeling and mostly unconscious Ouin.

Ryomou asked, "What did you do to him? He's been just sitting there for almost ten seconds."

Naruto shrugged and said, "It's an ability I've got called Izanami. It's basically an illusion that ensnares someone in a repeated cycle of time reliving the same events over and over again endlessly. I have Ouin caught in that right now. I think I'll give him a few more go rounds before I end it."

"End it how?" Hakufu asked.

Naruto frowned and said, "I'll kill him."

"You can't!" Hakufu shouted.

Naruto looked at her and said, "I'm sorry Sonsaku, but grace isn't something I can afford right now. Plus I'm seething in my own hatred right now and it's taking every fiber in my body simply to not beat the hell out of him right now before waking him up and ripping him apart. Leaving him in this endless cycle while I end it quickly is far more kindness than he deserves but I don't have time to wait. After everything he's done at Toutaku's side I can't let him go any further, he needs to be eliminated."

Hakufu frowned and clutched her hands at her chest and said, "I know but…"

"Sometimes things like this are unavoidable. I will take care of everything else after this but he needs to die," Naruto said as he extended his hand.

Hakufu looked away while Ryomou tensed her entire body.

Naruto walked over to the incapacitated Ouin and placed his hand on Ouin's head. He squeezed lightly before tugging harshly, the same pale purple energy form as had come from Kanu being sucked from Ouin's head and being absorbed into Naruto's hand.

Naruto tensed for a moment before easing with a sigh and said, "Okay, it's finished. The final match with Rakuyo won't be happening until the day after tomorrow, until then you guys should get some rest. This next match won't be anything like the rest."

They all nodded and Ryomou thought, '_What is the endgame to all this? I shudder to think what will happen when Uzumaki and Toutaku fight._'

Naruto sighed and said, "Right, why don't we all head back?"

They left the dock area with Naruto. He secretly made a clone to deal with Ouin.

* * *

_Toutaku _sat in his greenhouse after having witnessed both Naruto's match with Kyosho and his short battle with Ouin. He had a wide, insane, ear to ear grin on his face, trembling with his mad laughter.

As his laughter subsided, he said, "Yes...now I see. His power...his power _will_ be mine. When he arrives, I will take it for myself...those eyes of his."

* * *

Naruto arrived back at the house, rightbas Ryofu burst out of the door. She ran over to him frantic.

She grabbed him by the arms and spoke so fast and frantic Naruto couldn't understand nor interrupt her to calm her down.

Eventually he grabbed her shoulders and said, "Ryofu! Calm down."

She took a few breaths and he said, "Now, tell me. What. Happened?"

She frowned and said, "It's Chinkyuu, she's gone. She ran out of the house while I was busy, I think she's gone to Rakuyo."

Naruto snarled and asked calmly, "Why would she do that?"

Ryofu shook her head amd said, "I'm not sure but I think she may have gone for the Gyokuji."

Naruto sighed and said, "Dammit, why did she have to go and do something so stupid?"

"I don't know. But she mentioned something about you not fighting Toutaku. I thought she was just worrying like normal. But I should've paid more attention, I should have-"

Naruto interrupted her and said, "Calm down Ryofu. It's not your fault. Now c'mon, we can't let them catch her. I doubt they'd be very gracious."

Ryofu nodded and said, "Right. Do you think we'll need help?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, they'd juat get in the way."

She nodded and the duo left for Rakuyo High School.

* * *

Naruto and Ryofu approached the steps at the front of Rakuyo and saw Bunwa Kaku standing at the top, her arms folded and a smirk on her face.

Ryofu sneered and said, "Kaku, what the hell are you doing here?"

She and Naruto then began ascending the stairs to the school.

Kaku then said, "Lord Toutaku predicted this would happen. I've prepared a fitting a fitting welcome." She motioned her hand to the side as she moved, four of her personal lackies walking towards Naruto and Ryofu.

Naruto's eyes narrowed while Ryofu's widened.

Two of the men were dragging Chinkyuu's unconscious form by her arms.

Ryofu clenched her fists and shouted, "You bitch!"

Kaku smirked and said, "Aww, don't like it rough for her?"

Ryofu shouted again and began to charge but Naruto extended his arm to stop her. She glared in protest at him but froze when she saw him.

His head was down, hiding his eyes in the shadow of his bangs, the rest of his face completely calm. But even she could see what was boiling just under the surface.

He said calmly, "Kaku, release Chinkyuu."

Kaku shrugged and waved her hand, making the grunts toss her away towatds Naruto and Ryofu.

Naruto dropped his arm and said, "Ryofu, grab Chinkyuu and then take her to a hospital and stay with her." Naruto slowly raised his head, revealing his eyes in scowl that could kill and snarled out, "_I_ will take care of them."

Ryofu nodded wearily and walked over to Chinkyuu, glowering at the grunts as she stood up with the unconscious girl in her arms.

Ryofu immediately ran from the school, speeding towards the hospital.

Naruto watched her leave and then returned his focus to Kaku and the others. He grit his teeth and said, "It's time to end all of this. Where is he?"

Kaku smirked proudly and said, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Naruto grunted and then shot off towards the group.

The majority scattered but Rikaku was grasped by Naruto.

Naruto gripped his head and snarled as energy sparked at his hand, followed by the majority of the contents of Rikaku's head bursting out through a series of holes.

Kaku covered her mouth as she watched Naruto drop his corpes. She hissed at him and yelled, "Everyone! Kill him!"

Suddenly dozens of people poured out of the school. Naruto looked around, counting just over forty. He friwned and spoke to Ryuujin, '_I think it's time. Release the limiters on my powers._'

Ryuujin nodded and said, **"**_**Right, sick'em.**_**"**

Naruto exhaled slowly as he felt his body lighten. He sighed and snapped his eyes open, revealing his ryugan and said curtly, "You're dead."

He then waved both hands up in the air, the toushi in front of him, excluding Kaku, were thrown in the air in a wave; starting at the front and moving back. All getting tossed away.

Several b-class toushi rushed at him, brandishing varying weapons.

Naruto flicked his wrists and black rods fell from his sleeves into his hands and he rushed forward, smacking, stabbing and slashing the enemies as he ran. He then tossed the rod in his left hand forward, impaling one toushi in the chest, killing him.

Three more rushed from behind. He spun and swung his arm, gravitational force sending them flying back as black rods launched from his sleeves in an arc, killing each.

Several more toushi got into position, utilising bows and arrows. They fired a barrage at the blonde.

He raised his arm and the arrows stopped short of him. He flicked his wrist and they spun around, facing his enemies. He then flicked his wrist forward, sending the arrows flying, hitting many of them.

The remaining toushi scattered and surrounded Naruto. He raised his arms in the air, sending them all airborne. He then slammed his hands into the ground with a twofold effect.

First the toushi were thrown down at the ground, then sparks of energy jolted around him as spikes extended from the ground, impaling the falling toushi.

Naruto rose from his kneeling position as blood rained around him.

Kaku stood, frozen in fear as Naruto approached slowly.

She backed away, saying, "N-no! Stay back!"

Naruto flicked his wrisy, another rod falling from his sleeve.

Kaku continued to back away, telling him to stay away, when she stopped frozen. Her eyes widened and she looked down, a black rod stuck in her abdomen.

Naruto whispered in her ear and walked past her, leaving the rod.

Kaku fell to her knees as her vision blurred before going black as she fell over.

* * *

Ryofu ran through the streets towards the toushi specific hospital, carrying the slowly slipping Chinkyuu.

She turned a corner and stopped when she came face to face with the remainder of Nanyo's team. She grit her teeth as one specific member noticed her.

"Ryofu!" Ryomou shouted as she saw the greenette on the sidewalk. She clenched her fists preparing for a fight when she saw Chinkyuu. Ryomou raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's going on?"

Ryofu sneeted and said, "I don't have time to explain or fight you Ryomou so just move."

Myousai raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you taking her to the hospital?"

Ryofu narrowed her eyes and nodded.

Myousai nodded as well and said, "I can get there faster than you. Tell them what's going on and I'll take her."

Ryofu's eyes widened and she asked, "Why?"

Myousai smiled warmly and said, "I know."

Ryofu got the meaning and handed her friend tremulously to Myousai and said, "Take care of her."

Myousai nodded and leapt up to the rooftops.

As she went out of view everyone turned their attention to Ryofu.

She nodded and said, "I'll explain on the way."

"To where?" Koukin asked.

"Rakuyo," Ryofu replied simply.

* * *

Naruto approached the top of the path where _Toutaku's_ greenhouse was.

As he neared the top the doors swung open slowly. He narrowed his eyes as he walked in, the doors closing behind him.

He looked ahead and sitting on a bench at the end of a short stone was Chuuei Toutaku.

Toutaku smirked and said, "How kind of you to join me, Naruto."

Naruto sneered and said, "Cut the act, I know who you really are."

Toutaku stood slowly with a groan and said, "Oh I know, I saw your battle with Shishi."

Naruto nodded and said, "I'm aware, I saw your little cameraman."

* * *

_Naruto looked to his side and smirked as he saw a person standing in the alleyway next to his Ouin's fight._

* * *

Toutaku laughed out loud and said, "I see! Those eyes of yours truly are amazing and I, Orochimaru of the Sannin, shall have them!"

Naruto frowned and said, "Before I kill you, I'd like you to answer a question for me."

Orochimaru smirked and said, "Is that so? Very well, I can answer one of your asinine questions."

* * *

Ryofu and the others sped through the streets, moving towards Rakuyo.

Ryofu had just finished explaining the situation and Ryomou reacted first by asking, "He's seriousky going to fight Toutaku? Naruto is strong but Toutaku is a monster."

Ryofu nodded and said, "Yes, but Naruto has the powers of a monster so he may be the only one that can stop him."

Koukin frowned unsurely and said, "I get the feeling this battle is going to be bad."

"I would imagine. With those two going at full power Rakuyo may not be left standing," Ryofu said.

* * *

"Why? Why did you do all of this?" Naruto asked.

Orochimaru snickered and said, "That answer is simple. You should remember my old goal, to learn every jutsu in existence. Unfortunately with our world going down in in flames that wasn't really possible. When Sasuke and I were left as the rest of you left us behind, I saw that he was close to death, so I took the last few days of our world to be effective. Sasuke's body was very badly damaged at that point, but it was still strong enough to be my new vessel."

Naruto growled and said, "So, you finally got Sasuke's eyes?"

Orochimaru laughed and closed his eyes, then reoponed them to reveal a black iris with a six pointed red star in the middle with a three pointed star in the middle of those and a red pupil; Sasuke's eternal mangekyo sharingan.

Naruto sighed and asked, "What else happened, or are you just going to remain tight-lipped?"

Orochimaru shrugged and said, "After I took Sasuke's body I gathered Tobi's collection of Uchiha eyes and began to flee. I had no true destination and the next day it didn't matter because our entire world was destroyed. After that I ended up here; and this is where the story gets fun!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes as Orochimaru continued.

The four toushi came into view of Rakuyo, Ryofu shotuing, "We're almost there!"

"It doesn't look like they've started fighting yet!" Ryomou shouted.

Ryofu nodded and said, "Then there might still be time."

* * *

Myousai arrived at the hospital, the nurses seeing Chinkyuu's condition and beckoning Myousai to a room to take the girl.

* * *

"Because I ended up here during this world's Three Kingdoms Era. I saw all of the warriors fighting in this world with power comparable to many powerful shinobi. That's when I had a stroke of genius! It seems that ending up in this world had a unique effecr on my chakra, if I concentrated it outside my body it hardened, becoming what the 'toushi' know as the magatama. I also discovered I could seal souls inside those chakra constructs, allowing them to absorb the power of anyone who wears them," Orochimaru ranted gleefully.

Naruto grit his teeth and said, "So you set up all of this so you could power people up and steal their bodies? Which explains why the tournament is every two years, because that's when you need to replace your body."

Orochimaru laughed wildly and shouted, "You're sharp, Naruto. Now...since you know so much it's time for you to die and become my new vessel!" After saying that he began to wretch, before reeling his head back as something stuck out of his mouth. It was a sword with a bronze colored hilt and a three foot long double-edged blade made of blue light, the Kusanagi Blade. Orochimaru smirked and thrust the sword forward. "Die!" He shouted as the sword began to extend towarda Naruto.

Naruto brought up his hands to block and instead of running him through the sword pushed him back several feet before he gained traction.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and murmured, "What? My blade should have pierced you, npt be block." His eyes widened when he saw how Naruto had blocked it.

In his hand was a double edged sword with a bronze wrist guard and a hilt made of bone with no designs on it and a large purple jewel at the base. Naruto looked at Orochimaru and smirked. He then asked, "You like it? It's called So'unga."

Orochimaru grit his teeth and said, "How, how is it not pierced?"

Naruto smirked and said, "It's not a normal sword, it was forged from the fang of a demon."

Orochimaru sneered and said, "It doesn't matter…I'll still kill you!" He twisted his blade waved it to the side, extended the blade and then slashed at Naruto.

Naruto jumped up to dodge it and then used the blade to launch himself at Orochimaru.

As he neared Orochimaru he swung So'unga down, slicing Orochimaru in half. He frowned when Orochimaru turned into mud instead of dying.

Naruto jumped back as the Kusanagi burst from the ground, followed by Orochimaru himself, still disguised as Toutaku.

Naruto sneered and asked, "You going to keep up that disguise?"

Orochimaru examined his hands and arms and said, "I like this form, it reminds me of my favorite body."

Naruto grit his teeth and muttered, "Creep," before lashing out again. As he reached Orochimaru he jabbed, Orochimaru moved to the side and Naruto waved his hand, sending Orochimaru flying.

Orochimaru slammed into the glass wall, causing the glass to shatter and the frame to buckle. He smirked and Naruto and said, "Oohh, you're strong. I want those eyes of yours even more." He immediately kicked off from the wall with his sword as a lever.

Naruto raised So'unga in the air and swiped it down, shouting, "Dragon Burst!" As his blade became level a blast of wind shot from it like a torrent.

Orochimaru's approach was halted when the blast hit him, sending him flying back, straight through the wall this time and into the wall of Rakuyo.

Naruto flew forward and attempted to smash Orochimaru but he stopped when he heard, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" A massive tunnel of wind slammed into Naruto, slamming him into the opposite wall.

Orochimaru pulled himself from the wall, spitting the blood from his mouth. He smirked and said, "Kukuku, I didn't expect that one. I'll put that sword of yours to good use as well." He then rushed forward with a blast of wind chakra his sword reared for attack.

Naruto's eyes shot open and he waved his hand up swiftly, sending the snake man flying up into the air with his powers. He then waved his left hand from right to left, sending a series of black rods towards Orochimaru.

Orochimaru smirked and said, "That won't work!" as he tossed a series of kunai, knocking the rods off course, except one he didn't see.

Orochimaru smacked it with a kunai, sending it spinning through the air beside him. His eyes widened when a series of symbols lit up, followed by Naruto appearing in a flash of light. "What!?" Orochimaru shouted.

Naruto threw a chakra charged punch at Orochimaru, sending him crashing into the ground below in a loud crash and large dust cloud.

* * *

At the entrance to Rakuyo, Ryofu and the others saw the dust cloud and Koukin said, "Oh no, it's already started."

Ryofu grit her teeth and said, "We have to get up there. Maybe we can stop this before the city gets trashed."

Everyone nodded in agreement and moved up to the area.

* * *

Naruto floated above Orochimaru and watched as he rose up from the ground, a scowl on his face. Naruto returned his own scowl and called down, "Well…do you get it now? The difference between us?"

Orochimaru closed his eyes, and then said, "This is only getting more interesting as we go. I hope you provide me further amusement, Naruto Uzumaki!" His left eye began to bleed and Naruto erupted in flames. Orochimaru smirked and said with a shrug, "Might as well collect his eyes before there…what?"

Orochimaru sneered as he saw a giant glob of burning sand fall to the ground.

Naruto levitated down to his level and said, "Did you forget, I'm Ryuujin's Jinchuriki, which means I have all of the abilities of the nine Jinchuriki and the three visual kekkei genkai. That means I also have Gaara's ability to manipulate sand."

Orochimaru grit his teeth and said, "I see. Well then, that makes you an even greater threat, and a greater prize."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and responded, "The only thing you'll get from me is death."

Orochimaru snickered and said, "You still don't know when someone is blabbering to distract you, fool."

Two clones of Orochimaru shot up from the ground, clones of the Kusanagi in hand, and slashed Naruto through the midsection. After it was over the two clones sliced each other in half and Naruto was uninjured.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and asked, "How are you…oh I see. You can use Kamui. Well then, I say it's time we stop playing around." Orochimaru pulled back and rushed at Naruto as multiple clones appeared.

Naruto raised his hand sent a blast of energy to lift them all off their feet but they stopped dead and stuck their feet to the ground with chakra and immediately continued their charge. Naruto sneered and thought, '_Crafty bastard._' He rushed at Orochimaru's clones and slammed his hands into the ground, causing multiple spikes to form and extend towards them.

The clones and Orochimaru sliced the spikes in half and kept going but Naruto curled the halves around and impaled them all. Naruto grimaced but jumped as he saw Orochimaru coming from underground.

Orochimaru rose from the ground with a horizontal slash.

Naruto easily dodged and kicked Orochimaru in the face, sending him tumbling aside. He landed as Orochimaru kipped to his feet and launched at Naruto, extending his upper body.

Naruto used his gravity powers to push Orochimaru away, slamming into the wall. Naruto sighed and said, "Damn, this just won't end," as he saw Orochimaru melt into clay.

Multiple snakes extended from the ground and Naruto swung in a circle, beheading them all.

Orochimaru then rose from behind, biting Naruto's neck.

"Damn!" Naruto bellowed as Orochimaru's fangs dug deep into his flesh. He kicked Orochimaru away and said, '_Ryuujin, can you deal with this poison?_'

"_**Yes, I simply need to flush it from your system, but it will prevent you from using chakra mode,**_**"** Ryuujin said as he flowed chakra through Naruto's body.

Orochimaru's body lay unconscious as he launched himself from his beaten corpse, standing up again.

'_Bastard, still using the Soul Queen's jutsu. She must be rolling in her grave 'cus he's still using it,_' Naruto grimaced in his mind.

Ryuujin nodded and said, **"**_**I agree. Let's end him permanently so he can't**_**."**

Orochimaru raised his sword in the air and slashed downwards, sending a blade of wind at Naruto.

Naruto raised his arm and the chakra from the attack was absorbed into it.

Orochimaru sneered and raised his left hand, going through one handed signs and said, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" He formed a ring with his hand and spat a torrent of fire that Naruto merely absorbed.

Naruto jumped in the air when Orochimaru rose from the ground again. Naruto then shouted, "Damn, this like a demented game of whack-a-mole!"

Orochimaru thrust his blade forward and Naruto blocked it with the flat of his blade, getting himself pinned against the ceiling.

Orochimaru smirked and said, "Heh, at least now you can't use that damnable Almighty Push."

Naruto scowled as several clones of Orochimaru appeared and each threw eight kunai each, then went through hand signs and shouted in unison, "Shadow Kunai Jutsu!" Sixteen kunai became eighty and barreled towards the blonde.

Naruto grit his teeth and thought, '_Shit, I either let those things turn me into a pin cushion or let Orochimaru's sword come into contact with my body. I suppose I could use that._' Deciding on his plan, Naruto concentrated his chakra and was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared there were nearly forty clones of Naruto all floating in the air. The clones were subsequently impaled by the hail of kunai and exploded like smoke bombs.

Orochimaru felt his blade go slack and assumed Naruto had been hit. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance when he saw that Naruto was gone. He felt a chakra pulse behind him and jumped away as Naruto appeared from a Kamui and lunged at Orochimaru, landing on top of him.

Naruto raised his hand in the air and said, "I win!" he slammed his hand down but grunted when he phased through Orochimaru, not from his Kamui.

Orochimaru moved to the side as his Kamui allowed him to get free and blast Naruto with an Amaterasu.

Naruto howled as his face was lit up with the flames. He jumped back and used a miniaturized Almighty Push to blast the flames off.

Unfortunately that distraction was just enough to allow Orochimaru to get close to him. He grinned madly and said, "Ice Prison Jutsu!" Naruto scowled as he was encased in a block of ice. Orochimaru cackled and shouted, "Hah! Now you're stuck, stuck until I can pluck those eyes of yours." Orochimaru's cackling stopped when the ice began to melt.

The ice exploded outwards with a blast of energy.

Orochimaru covered his eyes as the steam expanded. He watched as Naruto's right arm from the elbow down was encased in a blue gauntlet with two spikes facing back at the elbow with long, blue, claw-like fingers and grey muscle tissue in between the wrist and elbow guards.

Naruto sighed and said, "So, do you like Bellcross? It's something called a Sacred Gear I got a while back."

Orochimaru scowled and shouted, "Just how many tricks do you have?!"

Naruto smirked and said, "Two thousand years and multiple universes of abilities. I hope you're ready, I've been holding back to gauge your powers, but now you're finished."

Orochimaru scowled and shouted, "Damn you!" He raised his arm and said, "Inferno Style: Flame Control!" as a ring of black flames formed around him and fired multiple shots at the blonde.

Naruto raised his left arm to absorb the chakra from the blasts and charged, kicking off with a mix of Almighty Push and chakra strength. He clashed his sword with Orochimaru's, forcing the snake man back several feet before Orochimaru pushed back and forced Naruto away.

Naruto and Orochimaru then clashed with swords, matched vertical slashes, opposite horizontal strikes that bounced off one another and crossed diagonal strikes that locked their blades.

Naruto smirked and raised his right arm before using Almighty Push to blast Orochimaru away and out the window and into the house Ryofu and Chinkyuu used to inhabit. Just to be certain, Naruto slammed his hand on the ground as energy sparked and a large boulder formed behind him. He raised the boulder and then threw it at the house with massive force, leveling it with a shower of dust and wood.

Ryofu and the others witnessed this and Ryofu said, "This…what the hell is going on.

They watched Naruto walk out of the battered greenhouse with his sword and gauntlet.

* * *

Myousai sat in the hospital waiting for the doctor. Moments later he walked out and tapped her shoulder.

Myousai stood and asked, "Well?"

The doctor shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, her internal injuries were too great, is there anyone you need to tell?"

She nodded and said, "Yes, I will tell them."

The doctor nodded and said, "I'm so sorry for the loss."

Myousai nodded with a frown and said, "I know." She then leapt out of the window and jumped across the rooftops to Rakuyo.

* * *

Ryofu and the others looked at Naruto, standing with his weapons and Ryomou called, "What's going on?!"

Naruto looked at them and shouted, "What the hell are you-" he stopped as a shot of black flame soared by his head.

He turned to see Orochimaru walking out of the rubble, enveloped in flicker purple flames with half of a ribcage floating beside him.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "So, you've resorted to Susanoo?"

Orochimaru frowned and said, "You've forced my hand. I'm hoping that I don't destroy those eyes." He rushed forward, his speed increased by the Susanoo.

Naruto smashed his hand into the ground and a wall rose up. Naruto growled as Orochimaru smashed through the wall and leapt above the man.

Orochimaru kicked off from the ground at Naruto. He extended his blade forward.

Naruto knocked the extending blade away and rushed at Orochimaru and smashed his fist into the incomplete Susanoo.

Orochimaru cackled as the hit had no effect. He spun around and smashed his leg into Naruto's abdomen and shouted, "Lion's Barrage!"

Naruto was sent crashing into the ground but used his gravity powers to stop himself from crashing and then kicked away as Orochimaru slammed into the ground shouting, "Cherry Blossom Clash!" the impact fractured the ground out to a great degree, giving Naruto no traction as he crashed into the debris.

Orochimaru stood in the center of the crater, grinning as he walked towards Naruto's downed position. He grabbed Naruto by the collar and said, "Those eyes…are…mine." He collected chakra in his hand and proceeded to gouge out Naruto's eyes, but the blonde crumbled into dust. Orochimaru gasped and said, "No!"

Naruto burst through the ground, upper cutting Orochimaru in the chin and sending him airborne. He then leapt up to him and reached out his hand.

"Don't think so!" Orochimaru shouted and reached out his right hand.

Naruto made an arm guard as a large, purple, ethereal, skeletal fist slammed into him and sent him crashing to the ground.

Orochimaru stood with half a ribcage around him and a single arm extending from it with a clavicle and shoulder blade connecting it and the actual hand having six fingers. Orochimaru panted as he used up more chakra and thought, '_Dammit. He's forcing me to use up a lot of chakra. I need to end this fast. Heh, I may need to skip straight to full Susanoo, although the force may destroy my chakra network. Damn this body._' He looked at his trembling hand as his eyes ached.

Naruto stood up with yet more armor, this time on his legs from the knee down that looked much like his gauntlets with single-toed shoe and two spikes facing out from his knees. Naruto sighed and said, "Alright, I can't worry about property damage anymore." He raised So'unga high in the air.

Orochimaru saw this and charged and shouted, "No! I don't know what you're doing but it won't work!"

Naruto slashed down and shouted, "Dragon Twister!" A ball of purple energy formed in the air that began swirling the air around it, becoming a massive tornado of dark purple wind that surged and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru snarled and brought up a defense as the tornado slammed into him and carried him into the Rakuyo school building, tearing through it in a path.

Naruto sighed and walked forward slowly. After a moment he tensed as he saw a surge of chakra at the end of the destroyed pathway.

What arose was a massive purple human skeleton with two arms, each having six fingers and a second forearm extending from the elbow with six fingers as well. The skull had extended canines and glowing yellow orbs where eyes would be and small horns on the forehead.

Orochimaru levitated where the skeleton's heart would be and shouted, "How about now?! Do you see the difference in our power now, Naruto!?"

Naruto grimaced and said, "This has gone far enough. It's time to arise, Bellcross!" Naruto's chest lit up with a blue light as tendrils of muscle writhed out, enveloping Naruto completely and expanding to match Susanoo's size, three stories in height, and what formed was a large humanoid dragon like being with a main body of grey muscle tissue covered in portions of blue armor. The shoulders, hips and chest had blue spheres as well as long plates pointing back from its shoulders in segments, a sharp point above the chest sphere, a segmented abdomen and a pointed pelvic guard.

Orochimaru snarled and his massive Susanoo launched at Naruto's Bellcross, a black flame representation of the Kusanagi blade in its main right hand.

Koukin and the others watched this and he said, flatly, "We're watching a battle between a giant purple skeleton and giant blue armored dragon…am I the only one thinking we're way out of our league?"

The three girls nodded as Susanoo with its Black Flame Kusanagi and Bellcross with its oversized So'unga clashed and locked blade.

Naruto panted inside Bellcross' chest and said, "Damn, this form is hard to maintain without enough mana."

"_**I'm giving you as much as I can. You've only got ten seconds before it destabilizes and falls apart,**_**"** Ryuujin said.

Naruto growled and said, '_Damn, gotta end this then._'

Naruto pushed Orochimaru back before taking the imbalance he gained and knocked Orochimaru's Susanoo on its back.

Naruto then pointed the So'unga down and stabbed Susanoo in the leg, pinning it. Naruto then grabbed Susanoo's head and twisted, attempting to rip it from the body, but Susanoo's secondary hands shot blasts of black flame that knocked Naruto and Bellcross back.

"_**Five seconds,**_**"** Ryuujin said.

Orochimaru slashed downward with his black flame sword to cut Bellcross in half.

Naruto reached up and grabbed Susanoo's wrist and tossed it to the side and crashing it on the ground.

Orochimaru snarled and evolved his Susanoo as tendrils expanded out from the eyes, forming a tentative muscular system, eventually forming into what appeared to be a humanoid with a pointed chin, a demented grin and horns atop its head with wide, pointed shoulders.

Orochimaru charged with a compressed ball of black flame in both of its left hands, attempting to tear apart through flames.

Naruto angled to the side to dodge and used Almighty Push to knock Susanoo back and on its stomach.

"_**Three.**_**"**

Naruto tossed So'unga away, its oversized counterpart fading away as chakra swirled in his right hand.

Orochimaru struggled to look forward and saw Naruto via Bellcross charging forward, a Massive Rasengan in his hand. Orochimaru attempted to move but was immediately smashed by the gigantic ball of swirling chakra. Orochimaru howled and shouted, "NO! If this keeps up, my Susanoo will break down and I will die! I refuse, I will _not_ die!" Orochimaru froze as he saw the muscle tissue was ground away.

Naruto felt the Susanoo give and shouted, "DIE OROCHIMARU!"

Orochimaru howled in pain as the giant ball of energy ground towards him before grinding away his body.

Moments later Bellcross dispersed and the Super Massive Rasengan exploded outwards, sending air, pressure and dust out in all directions.

Ryofu and the others covered their eyes as the dust flew around them. After the dust died down they opened their eyes and took in the true effects of the battle.

Rakuyo High School's main building was nearly demolished, the surrounding forested area was leveled and the greenhouse at the back was almost decimated.

"Where's Naruto?!" Ryofu shouted.

Everyone looked around and then Hakufu said, "Hey! I found him!"

Looking at the large crater where Bellcross and Susanoo had once stood, they saw Naruto lying in the middle.

"Naruto!" Ryofu and Ryomou shouted and ran down to his location.

* * *

Naruto laid in the middle of the crater. He slipped into consciousness as he heard his name shouted. He cracked open his eyes and saw Ryofu and Ryomou over him. He chuckled and said, "Well, guess I'm still alive."

Ryofu nodded and said, "Yeah, you are. How are you feeling?"

Naruto grunted as he sat up and said, "Like I was hit by a bus made of pain."

Ryofu chuckled and said, "That was insane you know? I can't even be certain it happened."

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, I imagine. But if you look around, it's obvious. How long was I out?"

Ryofu wiped a few tears and said, "Just a few minutes. I can't believe this all happened, and that it's finally over."

Naruto struggled to stand and said, "It's not over just yet."

Everyone raised an eyebrow.

* * *

In a dark room made of metal and concrete, a low banging sound was heard. It repeated multiple times before a metal door at one end burst into the room, blasted off its hinges by a foot sticking through the doorway.

The foot retracted as Naruto, Ryofu, Ryomou, Hakufu and Koukin walked through the doorway.

Naruto looked at the back of the room and grit his teeth, his parents were chained to the wall. He shouted, "Mom, dad!" as he ran over.

Minato raised his head weakly and said, "N-Naruto? What's…going on?"

Naruto raised his hand and said, "That's a longer story than you think, but for now I need to get you guys out of here."

Minato attempted to respond but passed out.

Naruto bit his lip and formed a blade of chakra on his hand and chopped apart the chains that held them to the wall. He made four shadow clones that caught them and held them up.

Naruto turned to the others and said, "Alright, there's one more thing I need to do."

The others raised their eyebrows and Ryofu asked, "What is it?"

Naruto waved his hand and said, "Follow me and you'll find out."

* * *

The entire group arrived at the roof of the damaged Rakuyo and Naruto said, "Now…I will fix everything I've done, cure all of the deaths I've caused."

"You can't be serious!" Ryomou shouted.

Ignoring her, Naruto splayed his hands out to the side. He then brought his hands together into a hand sign in the middle, then shifted to another and shouted, "Rinne Rebirth Jutsu!"

A ring of purple chakra formed in front of him. After that a head began to rise up. A humanoid head with a massively long neck with a high, white collar with red lining, a scarf around is mouth with a zipper extending to the base of the neck. The zipper slid down to the bottom, allowing the scarf to flip open, the bottom jaw detaching and dropping all the way to the ground.

Then, a shower of green light shot from its mouth in a beautiful light show, showering out upon the entire Kanto region.

* * *

At Seito Academy, Chouhi, Ryuubi and the others sat in front of Kanu's body as a green light fell through the roof and entered her body, enveloping it entirely.

The girls watched in confusion and apprehension as the color returned to Kanu's skin, followed by her eyes snapping open and she gave a sharp intake of breath.

"Kanu!" they all shouted in unison as they hugged her.

Kanu blinked in confusion and said, "I…what?"

* * *

At Nanban, Mouyu stood in front of Moukaku, preparing to bury her as a light fell through the ceiling and fell onto her body, enveloping her body in it and slowly died down. Moukaku then sat up swiftly and coughed harshly.

Mouyu blinked and said with a warm smile, "Moukaku."

* * *

All around the Kanto region the green lights flew across the sky and fell down, landing on and moving inside the bodies of all those killed at Naruto's hand; reviving them instantly and restoring them to their state before their individual battles.

Naruto concentrated and noticed that Chinkyuu's soul was not present in the outside world. He squeezed his hands and flowed more chakra, locating her soul and forcing it back into her body.

* * *

The doctors in the toushi hospital watched as a green light descended to her body. They watched in awe as she began to cough and wake up, alive.

* * *

Inside Kyosho's cathedral, Shibai and the team from the tournament plus one other watched as all of those who died in the tournament were brought back to life.

Shibai's jaw fell slightly as did the others'. She looked to her right and a young girl with long brown hair in a hime cut with red eyes wearing a blue, gothic Lolita suit with thigh high boots with a hairband on her head with tassels hanging off the side and a compound bow on her back. Her eyes were wide in surprise in awe. As if on reflex, her hands slowly moved together, her fingers interweaving exactly as Naruto's as she closed her eyes and lowered her head.

Shibai scowled at this and returned her focus to Naruto on the screen.

* * *

Back at Rakuyo, Naruto sighed and released his hands, the giant head's mouth and scarf closing. It turned to Naruto and looked at him with its purple, ringed eyes and waited.

Naruto was on one knee and said, "Right, thank you King of Hell, you can leave."

The King descended back into the ring of fire and vanished.

Naruto turned and his teammates, as he expected, were slack jawed in shock. He stood up and said, "_That_ is how far my powers extend."

Everyone nodded and Naruto said, "Right, I think there's only one thing left to do."

"There's something else?" Ryomou asked in disbelief.

Naruto clapped his hands together and slammed on the ground. Then a large tower of blue light shot into the sky and began to expand outward. As it did, the structural damage caused in Rakuyo disappeared and was fixed completely. As the tower expanded outwards, all of the structural damage caused to every structure in the entirety of the Kanto region as a result of the Big Fighters Tournament was repaired completely.

* * *

All around the region, people watched in awe as the green lights and then the blue tower of light expanded outwards, reviving those killed in the tournament and repairing damage caused in its occurrence.

At Nanyo, students stood out in the front courtyard in amazement when a student ran out of the school and shouted, "It was Uzumaki! He did it! He's the one that did all this!"

The other students looked at him incredulously then began to cheer.

* * *

Naruto finished his repairs and fell backwards, but blinked when he landed on something soft.

He looked behind and saw Ryofu with a sultry smile, she then said, "So, how's that for a relaxing landing?"

Naruto chuckled weakly in response.

Ryomou clenched a fist and began to tremble and said dangerously, "Housennn, Ryofuuuu…"

Ryofu turned to look at her puzzled, then flinched when she Ryomou glaring at her.

Naruto fell backwards as the two ran around the rooftop, one chasing the other.

* * *

Later that day, Naruto and the others arrived back at Nanyo. Naruto's eyes widened unbelievably wide as he received a warm welcome from the other students, who immediately began piling around him, mainly talking about the superhuman feats he had just performed. Naruto couldn't respond by doing much more than grinning.

* * *

At Seito, the tournament team looked at the battle network and discovered that all reports were saying that the source of the repairs to the region and the revival of the deceased, was none other than Naruto himself.

Ryuubi fell backwards and said, "Whoa, he…he actually did it."

Chouhi sighed and said, "Damn, who'da thought that guy could fix _death_?"

Kanu merely smirked and said, "I must say I'm surprised."

"Surprised!? He brought you back from the dead Kanu!" Chouhi shrieked, causing Kanu to cover her ears.

* * *

"Unfrickenbelievable, that bastard planned this the whole time didn't he, dumbass?" Moukaku said angrily but with a smirk on her face.

Mouyu had an inquisitive expression on her face.

* * *

The Kyosho team stood in disbelief, Shibai began to tremble and said, "This can't be…if he's that powerful…no. Kanto will still be ours." She looked at the computer indignantly.

Her aid however read the information with trembling features.

* * *

After that, Naruto was named the leader of Nanyo, primarily due to the fact that no one else in the school even considered going up against him for the title and the remaining Big Four both chose him. Naruto accepted the post and also assigned Shigi Taishiji and Housen Ryofu as the leaders of Yoshu Academy and Rakuyo High School respectively, both swearing allegiance to him.

Nanyo was also offered the allegiance of several smaller schools in return for the protection of the one the toushi had come to call "The Sage of the Battlefield" to which Naruto agreed happily.

Most events in the region simmered down over the following months as proceedings returned to mostly normal.

* * *

However, all was not well. In a foggy area in the forest on the edges of the Kanto region, a lone figure limped through the forest. The figure eventually collapsed, revealing itself to be Chuuei Toutaku. Toutaku's body remained motionless for several seconds before he began writhe like a worm. Then his mouth opened widely, right before his jaw dislocated and his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Moments later a slime covered, paper white hand stuck out of Toutaku's mouth and gripped the lower jaw, pushing it aside slightly as another hand much the same gripped the upper jaw. The man's jaw widened to impossible proportions as a figure stepped out of the large opening, covered in slime and dripping with it. The figure was Orochimaru's true form with paper white skin all over his body, waist length, straight black hair and purple markings that surrounded his eyes and extended down the bridge of his nose like fangs.

His eyes, however, were closed. He snickered and said, "Kukuku, don't worry Naruto, we will meet again. And this time…" he slowly opened his eyes, revealing them to be entirely purple with a series of ring moving out from the center, "I…will be the victor."

Orochimaru then wandered off into the thick fog of the evening forest.

* * *

**And end. That was the final chapter of Naruto: Chains of Destiny Break. I'd like to hear what you guys think and something tells me there won't be any moderates here, just people that like it and people that hate it. I'm fine with that as well, so just tell me what you thought of this chapter, of the story as a hole and maybe predictions for what will happen in part two and what Orochimaru having the rinnegan will mean and what you think he'll do in the next story.**

**Well, that brings this story to a close and I'm aware that a lot happened very quickly and a lot of new information was just kind of revealed, but know that pretty much everything not specific to Ikkitousen, or Orochimaru, will be things that appear in my other stories. I suppose there isn't much else to say but thanks for reading and thanks to those who stuck around to the end and sorry to those that were disappointed.**

**THE END**


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